The Other Promise
by musicalpickle
Summary: As years pass, childhood memories fade in time to be forgotten. But what happens when a memory from the past moves back to the Destiny Islands? Is all still the same or has time forever changed the friendship they all shared. SoraxKairi and RikuxOC Enjoy!
1. Chapter 1: Back to the Beginning

**Author's Note: I swear I'll stop deleting stories that I start. I'll finish them all and give you guys an ending. This is kind of what I was going to do with the Chance story but I wanted to add a twist. I hope you enjoy it and please review when you're done. Thanks and happy reading!**

**-Skye**

* * *

"_Even though I'm going away," the little girl said slowly through her tears, "do you promise we'll always be friends?"_

"_Of course we will be." The boy around the same young age as the girl held in his tears and rocked back and forth on his heels. "Just 'cause you're going away doesn't mean we have to forget about each other and stuff."_

_She wiped her eyes with her sleeve and ran up to the boy, holding him as tight as she could. For a moment he went stiff but then relaxed and returned the hug, wishing that his friend wasn't leaving him. The girl's mother called her over to the car but she only buried her head deeper into her friend's chest. _

"_Your Mom is calling you. I don't want you to get in trouble," he said sadly. "Just promise me…" She looked up into his clear, oceanic blue eyes, "that you'll come back."_

_She nodded her head furiously and attempted a smile. After he released her she ran off to her mother and looked back at her friend for the last time. _

"_I promise!"_

* * *

She woke with a start as her cell phone vibrated in her skirt pocket. After wiping the sweat off her brow, she reached into her pocket and set off the alarm before she tucked it away. "I should have turned off the alarms when I finished unpacking." She sat up on her fluffy, bed and looked around her new room with its black and electric blue color scheme. With a smile of satisfaction, she hopped off the bed and stared out the window above it overlooking the crystal clear ocean. "The Destiny Islands haven't changed a bit."

After stretching a bit, the teenager waltzed over to closet door mirrors and assessed the damage from sleeping half the afternoon away. Her pale green eyes were bloodshot and her tan/light brown skin was clammy beyond all reason. She ran her fingers through her long, messy, ebony hair where the tips were rebelliously dyed white and then braided it down. "That's what I get for falling asleep in my work clothes without showering," she grumbled. 'I can't believe my parents got me to paint the extra bedroom,' the girl thought tiredly. 'That's the last time I stick around when they dish out chores.'

As if her thoughts could be heard, a woman in her mid-forties appeared in the doorway and the relationship between the two was very clear. The mother had the same tan skin as her daughter and the same pale green eyes. Her hair, although it was the same shade of black minus the white, was cut above her shoulders and pulled back by a headband. She wiped the dust off her old t-shirt and smiled at her daughter.

"Thanks for doing the extra bedroom while I dusted off all the wood, Silver. I'd of had a hard time reaching everything and you just so happen to be taller than me."

"Mom," Silver said tiredly, "I'm 5'7 and you're 5'5. It's not _that _much of a difference."

Silver's mother rolled her eyes while her daughter plopped back down on her bed. She then stepped into the bedroom and scanned it over. "You did a good job on this one too," She ran a hand over the deep blue walls and nodded her head in approval. "I don't know why your father and I didn't just get you to do the entire house."

"Not gonna happen," Silver said with slight annoyance. Her mother tapped the black furniture and pursed her lips. "Your Dad won't be too happy with all the black though," she looked at the black bed frame, black desk in the corner and black armoire. "But it does look good with the blue and silver. You're quite the decorator."

Silver fell back against the royal blue and black comforter and hugged a silver fashion pillow. "Thanks. By the way, I'm starving. When are we going out to eat?"

"Glad you asked," a mischievous smile appeared on her face and Silver cringed, knowing that her mother was up to something. "Your father is having dinner with a co-worker tonight so it'll just be me and you."

"So…" Silver closed her eyes and waited for the rest.

"So we'll be going out tonight but we'll be having dinner with an old friend of mine."

"Anyone from Hollow Bastion?"

Silver's mother laughed. "Of course not silly. From the Destiny Islands. It's been six years since we've moved away from here so why on Earth would we have dinner with people from another island? Besides, you were 9 when we left so I thought maybe we could reconnect with a few people so you won't be alone when you start school next Monday."

The 15 year-old sighed and then rolled on her stomach, remembering the dream she had been abruptly woken up from and buried her face in the pillow. "Who is it?"

"Not tellin'." She sing-songed. "But we'll be leaving in a couple of hours so don't fall back asleep. Oh," She ran out to the hall as if she'd forgotten something and reappeared with a bright yellow shopping bag. "And I picked you out something to wear. I want you to look nice."

"I do dress nice," Silver argued, her voice muffled by the pillow.

"Yeah, but not lately. All it's been is dark t-shirts and sweat pant."

"We just moved from one of the farthest islands in the Destiny Islands. I'm not dressing to impress anyone when I have to put a house together and get conned into painting bedrooms."

"Whatever," her mother said dismissively. "And you did that in Hollow Bastion too so don't argue." She ignored Silver's groaning and placed the bag at the foot of her bed. "Hop in the shower, get dressed and fix your hair." She turned on her heel and waltzed out the room. "And no complaining about what I got you. It's _not _an option."

Hearing the edge to her mother's voice sent chills up her spine. "I'm not a friggin' Barbie doll," she mumbled as she grabbed the bag. Silver then placed it next to her and grabbed the silver/blue crescent moon pendant dangling from the chain. 'I know it's just dinner, but why do I feel so nervous? It's probably family or something. But knowing Mom, it's not gonna be that simple.'

* * *

"Oh my she is lovely," a woman with long, dirty-blonde hair reaching her elbows said while she talked on the phone. Her crystal-like aquamarine eyes scanned over a photograph while she sat idly on a long, white leather sofa. "Where did the years go Valencia? We're getting old."

A couple of boys walked down the stairs while laughing and joking amongst themselves. The first and younger boys had wildly spiked light-brown hair and deep royal blue eyes. The second was a teenager with pale skin despite the tropical island sun and silver hair that touched his shoulders. His eyes, like the woman on the sofa, were a clear, ocean blue and a she had his pale, clear skin.

"Sora, why do you get freaked out every time we play Resident Evil 5?" The silver-haired teen asked the brunette. "That game is nowhere near scary."

"Because those dead people pop up out of nowhere! I can't keep up," Sora said indignantly. "It's not my fault I only pay attention to what I'm killing at the time. You don't have to be so harsh Riku."

Riku smirked and hurried his friend down the stairs. "I'm not harsh. You just have to pay attention. Imagine what Kairi would've thought if she would have heard you scream like you did a few minutes ago." Sora's face turned a light shade of pink and Riku burst into a fit of laughter.

"You act like you never do anything out of the ordinary. Trust me," Sora warned, "you'll slip up one day and when you do, I'll be there with a video camera." The two headed for the main entrance and Riku touched the woman's shoulder as he passed her by.

Sora slipped on his tennis shoes while Riku opened the door for him. "Trust _me_ Sora, I don't think that'll happen anytime soon. I wouldn't give you the satisfaction. By the way, tell your Mom I said hi and thanks for the ride home from blitzball practice yesterday. My parents had to leave at the last minute and I'd probably still be stuck at school."

"No problem," Sora replied as he headed out the door. "That's what best friends are for. See you later." Riku waved back and then shut the door, preparing to head up to his bedroom once again. He walked past his mother who appeared to be finishing up her conversation but was stopped abruptly by her laughter.

"I know! It's been a while since I've been to that restaurant…. We'll be there in an hour…yes I'm bringing Riku. He'll be pleased to see you guys again after such a long time…Alright then, see you soon Valencia." Riku then turned to his mother as she clicked off the phone and placed it on the hook behind her. He walked over to her and stared at the phone.

"Are you going out tonight?" he asked casually as he sat down on the sofa opposite of hers. She nodded her head and grinned. "And did you say Valencia?"

"Yes I did honey. But you and I are going out to eat while your father and co-workers have dinner." She ran her fingers through her hair and then headed for the stairs with her son closely behind. "Do you remember Ms. Valencia?"

"Yeah. You guys are supposed to be best friends but they moved away when I was 9."

She stopped halfway up and looked over her shoulder before continuing her ascent. "And do you remember Silver? She'll be there too."

Riku's jaw dropped in shock, something that rarely happened, and then his eyes lit up in excitement. "How could I forget Silver? We were friends practically since birth."

"Well," his mother cleared her throat, "they moved back to the main island a few days ago and I thought it would be a good idea to go out an eat so we could get reacquainted. In fact, her father and your dad are out right now for a company dinner. I thought it would be nice if you guys met up seeing as you were so close."

Images of Riku's childhood played over in his mind like a classic movie. When they were infants they played over each other's houses and when they got older, they hung out on the little islet until the sun went down. Riku, Sora, Silver and eventually Kairi, were the closest of friends until Silver's family moved away on account of her father's job. And even though years have passed, he always wondered how she was doing. He couldn't keep his smile to himself and then headed towards his room to get ready.

"Hey," his mother called before she entered her room, "if you want to see what Silver looks like, there's a picture of her on the living room table. You'd probably like her; she's so pretty and mature-looking. You may not recognize her."

"Nah, I'll just wait 'til we get there. It'd almost be like spoiling the surprise."

"Okay, but don't take too long in the shower and use up all the hot water. I swear you take longer in the bathroom than most teenage girls."

"That's an exaggeration. Besides, I just care about how I look."

"Please, you take longer than me sometimes and _that's _really saying something."

Riku's mother disappeared into the master bedroom while he retreated to his own. He strolled on over to his dresser and picked up a photograph of his friends when they were really young, smiling as he did so. 'I wonder if you remember our promises Silver.'


	2. Chapter 2: How Could We Forget?

**Author's Note: Thanks you guys for reading and reviewing. It's good to have a little feedback once in a while and I really appreciate it. This chapter may be a little slow but that's how the first few chapters are. After this the story should pick up pretty quick so expect some excitement in the chapters to come. Enjoy and please review.**

**Thank you!**

**-Skye**"Mom, I can't believe I let you dress me," Silver moaned as her mother pulled into a parking spot in front of the restaurant. She ran her fingers through her neatly curled side ponytail and dropped her head, trying to hide her eyes under her full bangs.

* * *

Valencia put her sweater on and pulled down the visor to check her make-up. After being satisfied with her appearance, she turned to her daughter and put a hand on her shoulder. "Silver, what the heck are you talking about? You look great. Besides, I was going to make you wear a dress so no complaining."

Silver moaned and opened the car door, stepping out into the night air. She was wearing a teal tunic that could almost have been worn as a dress. It had wide, loose sleeves that stopped at her elbow with a low-cut, v-neck with delicate lace work under the bust. Silver wore a white camisole top under it and sported a pair of black leggings. In her double pierced ears were silver hoops and she wore countless silver bangles on her wrists with her trademark necklace present as well. As she adjusted the strap of her teal gladiator sandals, she used her free hand to pull her camisole up and groaned.

"Most mothers wouldn't want their daughters showing cleavage," she thought out loud.

Valencia now stood beside Silver and pulled her along towards the restaurant. "Sweetie, it's not my fault. Besides, you should be glad that you've got something there." Silver's face turned a light shade of pink and she grumbled something incoherently under her breath. "And would you please try to have a pleasant attitude." Valencia's voice now took on a tone of seriousness and Silver held back the sarcastic remark she was preparing to release. "We haven't been on the island for years and I haven't seen my friends in so long. I think it would do you some good too. So please," she held Silver's shoulders and her eyes silently pleaded with the latter's, "try to enjoy yourself."

Feeling guilt deep within the pit of her stomach, Silver swallowed hard and put on her best smile. 'One night with a bunch of Mom's old friends won't kill me,' she reasoned mentally. 'Instead of being a brat, I'll act decent. Besides, she probably went through a lot of trouble to make this happen.'

"Okay Mom, no more sarcasm. I promise I'll be on my best behavior," Silver told her sincerely.

Valencia squeezed Silver's shoulders and hugged her tightly. "Thank you Silver." And then she playfully but seriously added, "Because if you acted out I'd make you regret it, you know that right?"

"Yup," Silver rolled her eyes and knew that her mother could really make her suffer if she should do something stupid. The thought of it made her shiver and then she turned her attention to the restaurant before her. Valencia opened the door and the pair stepped inside, the sweet scent of exotic flowers filling the air.

It was rather large and in Silver's opinion, very chic and trendy. It was dimly lit with red and blue lights beating against the black walls. There was a bar in the center of the room with several tables surrounding it with booths along the walls. Soft, exotic music filled the room and everyone inside seemed to be in high spirits. At the back of the restaurant, Silver could see through the windows that there was a back patio area overlooking the ocean.

"This place is nice," Silver's mouth was hanging open and then she turned to her mother who was scanning the area for their party. "It's like one of those ultra chic restaurants that only exist on TV. My mood is already lifted."

"Well I'm glad you like it."

Silver's eyes fell on the outside patio area and she tapped her mother's elbow. "Do you mind if I go outside while we wait for company?"

"Go ahead sweetheart," her mother replied. "Besides we're early. I'll probably meet you out there in a little while."

"Thanks Mom." She quickly crossed the room, weaved her way through the throngs of people waiting for their table and came to the patio door. There were several tables out there with a couple of benches on the side with the area being lit up softly by gold lantern hanging from up above. She made her way over to a bench on the far left and sat on the edge so she could look down below at the ocean. Silver rested her chin in her hand and stared longingly out into the sea, inhaling the familiar ocean scent whilst daydreaming about the friends she had left behind long ago, wondering whether or not they would remember her.

* * *

"Valencia!" Riku's mother called as she spotted her friend near a fish tank close to the entrance. Valencia's head snapped in her direction just in time to find herself in a tight hug. "Oh my God! I can't believe it's been so long."

"It's good to see you too, Carmen," Valencia said with joyous laughter while squeezing her best friend tighter. "It's been 6 years. We have so much to catch up on."

Carmen and Valencia pulled away from each other but still held hands. "I know. By the way, I hope you remember my son."

Riku, who had been leaning against the wall, smiled and walked over to Valencia, who's jaw had totally dropped. "That's _not _the nine year-old boy who used to hang around my house all the time," she said, sounding completely awestruck. Valencia held her arms out to Riku who found himself pulled into a tight embrace.

"It's good to see you Ms. Valencia," he said politely. She then held him out before her and turned to Carmen. "This isn't a boy anymore. Look at him; he's practically grown!"

"Don't tell him that," Carmen advised her. "He'll get a big head and start running off whenever he wants. I already have a hard time keeping him in the house. Don't you make it worse."

"And he's so handsome. Not that I didn't expect it, though."

Carmen looked over Valencia's shoulder and then scanned the immediate area. "Where's Silver?"

"Oh, she went outside on the patio a few minutes ago." Valencia then turned back to Riku. "Do you want to get her, Riku? I didn't tell her who we were meeting."

"Sure," he replied while putting his hands in his jean pockets. "I'll be right back." And then he disappeared into the crowd, leaving his mother and her friend to talk amongst themselves.

'I wonder if Silver even remembers me,' he thought to himself. 'It's been a while. Well,' Riku brushed off his navy-blue dress shirt and pushed open the patio doors, 'if she forgets then I'll make her remember.' The cool ocean wind hit him and he stared out to see a bright full moon hanging in the sky. He looked to his right instinctively and saw no one and then slowly turned to the left where he saw a girl, possibly the same age as him, with her back to him staring out into the ocean.

Riku paused for a second before he called out to her. She was taller than most of the girls he knew and she had long black hair pulled into a ponytail over one shoulder. He stepped forward when he saw her tan, brown-ish skin that was identical to Valencia's and walked over to her, feeling his chest tighten.

"Silver, is that you?" Riku asked softly.

The girl broke out of her trance-like state and looked over her shoulder, freezing when her unmistakable green eyes connected with Riku's aquamarine eyes.

Silver and Riku stood there for, what felt like to her, the longest moment in history. A light blush rose to her cheeks and she was thankful that they were in a dimly lit area. "Oh. My. God," was all she could get out before she found Riku standing before her. This was the absolute last person Silver was expecting to see tonight and seeing him now just made her heart race. Of course he had always been a cute kid, but now in Silver's eyes, he wasn't just some little kid who came over to play with swords: he was the hottest guy on the island who she happened to hang out with as a child.

Her voice was caught in her throat and her heart skipped a beat when he pulled her close for a hug. Silver, totally off guard, blushed furiously and went completely stiff. Through his shirt, Silver could feel his muscular chest and his scent, which was almost identical to that of the ocean, invaded her senses. Riku was taller than her by at the very least two inches but still she found herself cheek to cheek with him. After she broke out of her trance, she weakly wrapped her arms around him.

"I didn't think I'd see you again," Silver managed. Riku pulled away slightly, still holding Silver and smiled. "Same here," he agreed.

"I also didn't know I'd be having dinner with you," she said while looking around for anyone else she might know. Silver released Riku while he had his hands on her shoulders. "Are your parents here too?"

"Yeah but it's just my Mom. I guess your Mom wanted it to be a surprise."

'Well she got surprise down pat,' she thought with slight irritation.

"Anyway," Riku cleared his throat and led Silver back through the restaurant, "I think our Moms are gonna start asking where we are so let's hurry up."

All Silver could manage was a simple nod before letting Riku lead her back into the restaurant. And as he pulled her along, linking hands as he did so, Silver felt a strange series of emotions run through her body that she had never experienced before. And with that, a secret buried deep within her heart resurfaced, sending her into bittersweet euphoria.


	3. Chapter 3: Do I Know You?

**Authors Note: Hi everyone! I'm back. Sorry it took so long but with school and stuff it was kind of hard. Thank you to those who've read and reviewed and enjoy! Reviews are greatly appreciated.**

**-Skye**Riku tossed his backpack down in the corner of his room and threw off his school blazer. He looked out of his window and headed over to the desk besides it, searching the top for something. He ran a hand through his silver hair and picked up the photo his mother had told him about. Riku made his way over to his bed and sat on the edge, looking at the photograph of Silver and recalling the memories from the previous night.

* * *

"_Guess you're not the little tomboy you used to be," Riku said as he and Silver walked to Valencia's car while their mothers chatted at the restaurant doors. _

_Silver grabbed her elbow and looked away as if she were embarrassed. "My mother wanted to play dress-up tonight. She's been dying to have an excuse and I guess this dinner was it."_

_Riku laughed to himself and then looked at Silver before looking off to the side. "You look nice though. I was half expecting a small little girl with cartoon t-shirts and short hair."_

"_People do age Riku. It's kind of what happens with time," She told him before falling silent. _

_Riku then stared at Silver and smiled. She really wasn't the nine year-old girl he used to swordfight with on the island until it became dark. Not that she wasn't always adorable, but seeing her now as she was. She was considerably tall, taller than most if not all the girls in his year. Her skin seemed to sparkle under the light of the moon and her green eyes were now filled with wisdom, probably more so that the other girl's in her age group. Without even realizing it, Riku reached for her long, black and white hair and ran his fingers through her curled side ponytail, surprised by how soft it was._

_Silver jumped slightly and stared at him with wide, confused eyes. "Is there something in my hair?"_

_Caught off guard, Riku pulled his hand back and took a step away from Silver, wondering why in the world he felt so compelled to run through her hair. "Uh, sorry. I'm so used to remembering you with short hair."_

"_I see what you mean," she said distantly. "I just wanted something different."_

"_And you dyed the tips white because…?"_

_Silver ran her fingers through her hair and held up the tips. "Always wanted to do it although I practically killed every color cell where I dyed it. My dad freaked out when he saw. He wanted me to take some scissors and chop it off immediately."_

"_And it's a pretty safe bet saying that you won the argument," Riku concluded with a chuckle. "You were always good at that."_

_Riku and Silver now stood at Valencia's car and they waited in silence for the latter to show up. When she and Carmen did, Valencia hugged Riku once more and made him promise to stop by the house the first chance he got. Once he did, she released him just in time for Carmen to take hold of Silver. _

"_So good to see you sweetheart," Carmen said warmly. "We haven't moved so feel free to hang out. The whole family will be glad to have you over."_

_Silver nodded her head and Carmen released her before running her fingers through her hair. "My gosh, your hair is gorgeous," She commented quietly to herself. Carmen turned to Valencia and the two exchange a few goodbyes while Valencia started up her car. _

_Silver turned her attention to Riku who reached out to her once again and took her in another tight embrace. "It was fun seeing you again. I hope to see you on the island this weekend." He pulled back and placed a hand on her shoulders. "Sora and Kairi are gonna freak when I tell them you moved back."_

_With a half smile, Silver nodded her head and waved a quick "good to see you too" before getting in to the passenger side. Riku closed the door behind her and took a step back. As he and his mother waved goodbye when they pulled out, he and Silver locked eyes one more time until the car sped off in the other direction, leaving the pair standing under the light of the full moon. _

"She's so different…" Riku thought as he stared at the photograph of Silver. In it, she was walking down a beach during the sunset, staring distantly into the ocean with the wind ruffling her long, silky hair. But one thing he noticed from the photo were her eyes. They seemed so lost, so distant with a hint of sadness and he noticed that it they were exactly the same last night with a hint of surprise.

She was always a little quiet compared to the rest of the group, but Silver seemed a little off somehow. Riku set the photograph down beside him and sighed, wondering what in the world could have happened to the person he was once so close to.

* * *

Silver yawned and adjusted the strap of her gray messenger bag. She placed her hands behind her head and stared into the orange sky. "It's much nicer out here when the sun is setting and the wind starts blowing. Why does it have to be so hot most of the time?"

Clad in a pair of dark blue skinny jeans, a white tank top and flip-flops, she thought that she had been dressed perfectly for the weather. She tightened one of her favorite articles of clothing, a white and silver muffler scarf with tints of blue, around her neck, and looked down at her hair which was now curl free and tied in another side ponytail with a silver butterfly clip held in place by two black chopsticks. But walking around in the middle of the afternoon with long articles of clothing had proven her wrong and she thought about fishing out her shorts and such.

"I'd better head home," She thought out loud as she took a detour near the beach. Silver headed down a familiar path behind a few Oceanside shops and took out her phone. However, just as she was about to call her mother, she heard a girl's panicking voice accompanied by that of two men and tossed it into her bag.

"How about we walk you home?" One of them said as they cornered her at a fence.

"It's not smart for pretty little girls to be out after it gets dark," the other said in a less-than-friendly voice.

Silver stood around the side of the building, completely hidden from view and peaked over to get a good look at the situation. There were two guys, possibly in their late teens hovering over a girl around her age. She was pale skin and dark brown hair that fell an inch or two past her shoulders with light brown highlights. Her dark brown eyes were fierce and determined but even from Silver's point of view, she could see the fear in them.

"Look," she said in her most menacing voice, "I don't want any trouble so could you guys back off." She clutched her books closer to her chest and the men broke out into laughter.

"Just trying to make sure you're safe," the first one with dirty blonde hair said as he stepped closer. "We'll take good care of you."

"Don't you trust us?" His friend with black hair asked with mock hurt clear in his voice.

The girl tried to run off to the side but the blonde grabbed her, making her drop all her books in the process and pinned her to the fence behind her. Her eyes widened and she shook in fear, knowing what was probably coming next. "Let me GO!" she screamed over and over again while vainly struggling. The onyx haired man stuck her across the face and she fell to the floor. She tried to scurry away but the blonde kicked her in the side and then leaned over her while the other man took off his jacket.

"You know kid," the blonde began while placing a hand over her mouth before she let loose another scream, "fighting only makes it more painful for you so it's best if you just cooperate."

"Besides," the other man said, "all the girls say we're good at what we do. Consider yourself lucky."

"So just be a good little girl and everything w—" The blonde cried out sharply and was flown several feet behind the girl. When he got back on his knees, he held his chin in his hand and found blood pouring steadily from his mouth. He looked up to see his attacker and was quite surprise to see a girl with black hair and cold green eyes standing in front of the brunette. She placed a pair of silver fingerless gloves on her hands and placed her hands on her hips.

"You know what cops do to guys like you?" Silver asked darkly as she stared at both men with disgust. They were both awestruck, especially the blonde who was massaging his chin. "You should probably run off before you end up in jail cause the same thing you were gonna do to this girl," she pointed to her, "is gonna come ten times worse to the both of you."

The blonde smirked and rose shakily to his feet. He and his associate stared at Silver like they had just entered a candy store and they approached her slowly. "Guess we got lucky today," the unscathed man said.

"I get the hot, black-haired girl," the blonde began, "and you can have that adorable little brunette. You cool with that?"

"Oh yeah."

Silver quickly yanked the brunette by her arm and pulled her away from the onyx-haired guy who tried to grab her leg. She threw the white-faced girl behind her and yelled, "you'd better get some help. You're bleeding." The girl automatically touched her lip which had been cut with blood already starting to harden around it.

"I'd be more worried about yourself." Silver shoved the girl away as both men attempted to pounce on the two of them. She ducked under them and rolled to the side, watching as the teenager she had helped, kicked the blonde in the stomach and stepped back before he could snatch her.

The black haired man caught Silver off guard and yanked her up by her arm and punched her in the stomach before shoving her back into the fence. She cried out sharply and hung on. He charged for her again but this time, she moved out of the way just before he could catch her and dropped to the ground. She grabbed his leg swiftly and flipped him over on his back where he fell on a broken glass bottle. She then raised up her leg and kicked him so hard in the gut that she could've swore she heard a bone crack. Once the man was curled up tightly while holding his stomach and groaning in pain, she searched the area for the other attacker and the girl he was assaulting.

The brunette was lying on the floor, holding her stomach and crying out in pain and to her shock, the blonde was nowhere to be found. She searched around frantically for the other man and gasped when she felt a strong hand wrap around her arm and throw her back to the ground, this time cutting her arm on a broken piece of concrete.

"You know, you're pretty tough," he told he with an amused smile. "I might just have to hang onto you for a while. Too bad about your friend." He proceeded to punch Silver in the stomach and when she was doubled over in enough pain to stop moving, he got down to the ground and began straddling her hips. "You're way more fun though to be honest."

Silver coughed raggedly and looked up to see the man unbuckling his belt and her heart skipped a beat. He threw it off to the side and then reached for hers. Silver vainly fought back and tried to control her breathing. He undid the clasp on her white studded belt and discarded it, smiling wickedly as he did so. Silver was racking her brain for ideas and tried to strike back with the arm that wasn't bleeding profusely but he caught it and pinned it to the ground. He leaned down and planted a kiss on her cheek and laughed when he heard her gasp.

"I promise you'll like it," he assured her. "Honestly, I've never seen someone as pretty as—" He howled wildly and fell over in agony after Silver kneed him with all her strength between his knees. She controlled her breathing as best she could and rose to her feet.

"How'd you like that?" Silver asked as she brushed off her cheek. When he tried to reach out and grab her ankle, she whipped around and kicked him once more in the face. This time however when she struck him, he fell silent and did not get up again. "Stay down. I'm too tired for this crap."

Silver then turned her attention to the girl who was sitting on the black-haired guy and rushed to her side, her eyes filled with concern. "You okay?"

"Yeah," she replied while rubbing her head. "He knocked me in the head really hard but that's why they invented aspirin." She looked up to her rescuer with wide eyes. "I can't believe you took down those two guys all on your own," she said in awe.

Silver shook her head and then went to pick up her belt. After she wrapped it through the loopholes, she reached down and picked up the books that lay on the concrete. She brushed them off and handed them back to their owner who stood up and then went down into a stiff bow. "Thank you so much. I would've been in serious trouble if it weren't for you."

"Umm," Silver looked slightly embarrassed and then changed to an emotionless expression. "That's not necessary but you're welcome." She went over to the side of the building where she dropped her messenger bag and put it over her shoulder.

"I called the cops and they'll be here to pick up these jerks. I should probably stick around to give them a report." She then noticed the blood still running down Silver's arm from the large cut she had received earlier. "Are you gonna be okay?" She rushed over to her and assessed the damage up closer. "Maybe I should take you to the doctor. I'm so sorry! If I hadn't of gotten myself cornered this wouldn't have happened."

Silver cut her off by placing a hand on her shoulder. "Don't worry. Bad things happen cause life happens. I'd rather have gotten a small cut than have been sexually assaulted in a back alley. Don't worry about me. By the way, what's your name?"

"It's Reina. Are you sure you're okay?" She asked with concern deep within her deep brown eyes.

"I'm fine Reina." Silver then turned on her heel and began walking back on the route towards her house. "Just be more careful. Just because this is the Destiny Islands, doesn't mean that stuff doesn't happen." Reina then stared at Silver with realization and watched the pretty islander walk off. She held out her hand to her but then dropped it.

She shook her head in disbelief and watched as her rescuer disappeared from sight. "That can't really be Silver. Can it?"


	4. Chapter 4: Old Friends

**Author's Note: **THat update took waaay to long. Sorry it took forever guys but good news: I already have most of the next chapter done. I really hate writing intros though because (being as impatient as i am) i want to jump right into the plot with all it's turns and junk. Anyway, enjoy and please review. The next chapter will have more along the lines of action in it. Promise!

-Skye

* * *

Silver sat in an empty desk in her nearly empty homeroom scribbling something in a black journal. As she struggled to find the words she wished to write, she blew her bangs out of her eyes and leaned back in the desk. Her weary green eyes peered up at the analog clock above the teacher's podium and she sighed.

'Maybe I could've come to school a little later,' she thought as the long hand inched towards the 5 and the short one stayed glued to the 7. Silver loosened her royal blue tie and looked at the rest of her uniform: a short-sleeved collared shirt, a blue and white plaid pleated skirt and matching school shoes. She pulled up her thigh-high white socks and ran her fingers through her silky straight side ponytail. 'I didn't think it'd be so weird being alone in this class for so long.'

She glanced at her stack of textbooks beside her desk and grimaced. 'Algebra II, AP World History, Chemistry…I should kill my mom when I get home.' Valencia had said that her daughter could handle the workload. She didn't consider that maybe Silver wanted a chance to breath an relax over the weekend though.

"Friggin' career-minded parents," Silver tapped an onyx painted fingernail against the desk and closed her eyes before shutting her journal and placing it neatly in her gray and white messenger bag. She turned her body towards the window to her left and let the wind from the early morning kiss her exposed skin. She sighed but smiled slightly for she loved days where the clouds took over the sky. On Hollow Bastion, it usually meant that rain was coming and not a soul was as entranced by the rain as she was. She let her mind wander for what seemed like hours when she felt someone hover over her desk.

"Good Morning Silver." Silver opened her eyes slowly to see Riku leaning against her desk while dropping his backpack in the seat beside hers. He took off his royal blue blazer and slung it over the back of his chair before returning his gaze to her.

"Hi Riku," she said quietly. "I didn't think you'd be here this early."

"Early? Class starts in about a minute," he told her whilst pointing to the clock. "Were you daydreaming or something?"

"Or something," Silver said trailing off.

"What happened to your arm?" Riku asked curiously. Silver followed his eyes to her bandaged arm and rubbed it gingerly. "I tried to call your house Saturday night but your mom said that you weren't feeling well."

"It was just me having an accident," she said distantly. "I'm fine though; it's just a scratch."

"That needs a bandage and stitches?" Riku looked at her skeptically but dropped the subject upon sensing that she didn't want to discuss the origin of the injury any further. "Anyway, Sora and Kairi are gonna wait for us after class. They were really excited about seeing you again after all these years. Plus Wakka, Tidus and Selphie said they wanted to hang out after school."

"I see," Silver took out her schedule, a long, pink horizontal slip of paper and placed it on top of her binder. She stared at it for a few seconds before it was off her desk and in Riku's hands. "Can I help you?" she asked with annoyance clearly present in her voice.

"We have 5 out of 6 classes together not including homeroom," Riku stated. "Guess I can keep that promise to Mrs. Valentine and keep you from getting lost."

"I'm a big girl, I can take care of myself," she retorted.

"And yet you show up on the first day of school with a messed-up arm. Oh yeah, you take care of yourself just fine," he teased. The bell for homeroom rang and Riku placed Silver's schedule back on her desk. The class listened in for the morning announcements and Silver absently listened in, doodling on a sheet of paper while stealing quick glances at Riku who was writing something down in his agenda. 'I don't need them to take care of me,' she thought darkly as the announcements droned on. 'They don't know what they're talking about. I'm not a little girl anymore…'

________________________________________________________________________

"Next time," Silver said as she struggled with the many books in her arms, "I'll be the one to pick my classes." The thick Chemistry textbook was tilting over the top of the stack and she breathed out as it began to fall to the floor, anticipating it.

"You know," Riku snatched her book out of the air and carried it under his arm, "it may have been wiser if you put them in the locker during passing period. That way, you wouldn't have to worry about dropping your stuff everywhere."

Instead of a response, Silver turned away and pouted slightly. 'He had to have almost all of my classes. I must have really screwed up with karma some way.'

"By the way, where is your locker?"

Silver snapped out of her thoughts and stared at her schedule that was stuck in the pocket of her royal blue blazer. Riku followed her eyes and grabbed the slip of paper out of her jacket. He opened it up and then grabbed Silver gently by her elbow, leading her down a less populated hallway.

"Where are you taking me?"

"To your locker. Where did you think I was taking you?" He took two books of Silver's stack, lightening the girl's load immensely and her eyes widened in curiosity. "I can carry my books you know…" she said weakly.

"Not with that arm," Riku argued. "Don't put so much stress on it, otherwise it'll be that much harder to heal. Trust me, I've seen too many blitzball players screw up their arms by overdoing things."

"You still play blitzball?"

Riku nodded while guiding Silver to her locker. "Me, Sora, Wakka and Tidus are all on the team. We've been on the school's team for about two going on three years." Once they came to the newcomer's locker, he put the books back in her arms for a quick second while punching in the combination. He opened the door and began placing the books neatly on a shelf in the locker. When Silver's hands were free, she brushed away a strand of hair and wrapped it around her ear. "Thank you Riku."

"Don't worry about it. By the way, I wanted to ask you—"

Riku was cut off when a boy taller than himself with wild orange hair tied back by a blue headband put him in a headlock. Two more boys, one with flared blond hair and the other with wild, spiky light brown hair arrived on scene with two girls following close behind. One had dark green eyes, medium length chestnut hair and the other girl (who was unfortunately being dragged by the first) had short maroon hair and blue eyes.

"Riku," the orange haired teen started with a wide grin, "where've you been at man?"

"Yeah, we were waiting at your locker for you," the blond added. "What took you so long?" Silver scanned the faces of the teenagers before her and recognized everyone immediately. She took a step back from the scene and stared at them in awe, wondering where time had gone, feeling way older than she actually was.

Riku pulled himself out of the headlock and brushed himself off. "You guys didn't need to panic. I was on my way."

"C'mon Riku," the brown-haired girl whined. "I want to see Silver."

"You wanna chill out Selphie," Riku pointed to his right and Silver leaned against the lockers while looking away.

"No way." The blonde and orange-haired boys stepped away from Riku and hovered around the designated "new girl" who was looking extremely uncomfortable. "This can't be Silver," the blonde stated in amazement while giving her a quick look over.

"Yeah, the Silver we knew was small with short black hair and a total tomboy."

"Nice to see you Tidus," she looked at the blonde and then turned to the other boy. "And people do grow up Wakka." She placed her index finger in between his eyes and pushed him back several feet. Wakka rubbed the soon to be red spot on his forehead and then smiled.

"Okay, now I see it. Still a tomboy, but in a skirt."

Just then, the remaining members of the group rushed over to Silver and embraced her so tight that she thought that she'd pop. For a while she remained frozen in place, the whole scene feeling too much like a dream that she'd soon awake from. But there were her old friends: Sora with his radical spiky hair, Kairi with her short red hair and bright eyes and Selphie as bubbly as ever with her bouncy brown hair. It seemed as though none of them changed drastically and even though she'd have been happy being on her own, she still felt glad to see them all.

"You haven't changed at all!" Sora exclaimed as the group loosened their grip on Silver.

"No," Kairi argued, playing with Silver's long black and white ponytail. "She looks so much more mature. You must be losing your vision Sora."

"I can see just fine Kairi!"

"By the way," Riku stood next to Sora and placed a hand on his shoulder, "how'd you guys find us?"

"Oh, some of the guys on the blitzball team said they saw you walking this way with some new girl," Sora explained. "We figured we'd just follow you and eventually we'd find Silver."

"You guys were always glued at the hip when we were kids," Tidus joked. "Guess that hasn't changed either."

Silver closed her eyes and let the group ramble on around her about the past. Even from this brief encounter, she could tell that they were still the same group of blessed, cheerful kids that she left behind when she moved away. It was written all over their faces: Sora, Riku, Kairi, Selphie, Tidus and Wakka. And then she looked at them out the corner of her eye and thought about the day when her mother told her that happy carefree people usually stick together. Then she thought about herself and forced a small smile. 'Did _I_ used to be this happy?'


	5. Chapter 5: Past and Present

**Author's Note: **Sorry that took a long time. School is taking up a lot of time and I should be free for the next few weekends to update. Anyway, this chapter is short but it has a big impact on the story in the future as well as a little understanding. Hopefully you guys like it and review. Thanks for being so supportive of me and my stories. You guys are awesome!

-love skye :)

* * *

_She sat on a comfortable red sofa in the back of the club, a soda in her hand and a boy she most likely won't remember on her right, joking, laughing and saying all the right things to get her to be his. So she smiled back and turned on the poker face she was notorious for and flirted back. _

"_So where's your boyfriend?" he asked, putting an arm around her shoulder. "I know someone like you has to have one."_

_She shook her head, poker face still intact while her heart was screaming and sobbing. "Had one," she said over the blaring music. "Didn't work out…"_

_He scooted closer to her, his face dangerously close to hers. "Sorry about that. He screwed up big time. No way I'd let someone like you go free."_

_And then she laughed a hollow laugh that shook her from the inside and surveyed the dark club. Teenagers like herself danced to pop music. Girls in groups, guys in the corner too scared to ask one of them to dance, boys and girls dancing together like they were lovers, and girls on girls who just didn't care. She longed to be one of them, living and thriving off the excitement of the lights hitting their bodies and the bass shaking through them to the core. It was her escape, and right now she needed it more than anything. _

_She rose to her feet, pulling her gold tunic down over her jean shorts and grabbed the guy by the hand, desperately wanting to be a part of the crowd. "Wanna dance?" she asked with a seductive smile. He couldn't resist and grabbed her hand, eventually leading her by the waist to the dancefloor. A Lady Gaga song came on and the tempo picked up. He led her to a darker area of the dancefloor and their bodies winded together intimately in perfect rhythm to the music. She held his hand and he raised it above her, pulling their bodies closer together than what was thought possible. His free hand dangerously moved across her leg as they danced; not close enough to have hit the boundary, but close enough._

"_You're good," he whispered in her ear through haggard, moans of pleasure. "I feel for the sucker who called it quits with you." As the song slowed down, he pulled her back and they rested on a beam away from the dancers. One hand was wrapped around her waist and traced over the free skin that now showed on her hips while he stroked her upper thigh. His chin rested on her shoulder and then his lips grazed her cheek, wanting much more than a simple dance. "I might just have to hold onto you for the night," he said seductively. _

_So she played his game. Played it better than he did as a matter of fact. She touched his attractive yet misleading face and stroked it gently with her long, elegant fingers and now his hand was under her tunic and running over her stomach. "Club relationships don't last," she told him._

_His lips then found the crook of her neck and he kissed her sweetly. "But you're special. I'd make it last."_

_And now she was shrieking from the inside. 'You don't know me! Don't touch me!!!" Torn up inside yet playful on the outside. She was her own worst enemy. 'Its not gonna last. I'll make sure of it. You're just here to dull the pain.' She lived for the thrill of a club where she could forget her life and all that went on with it. The pain, heartache, suffering; just wanted to forget. She felt mildly bad for using this guy, but she knew that he wanted that one thing and so she used that to knock out the guilt. 'He's screwing with me, so why not fight back?' she reasoned with herself. _

_Here she realized that as soon as she leaved the club, nothing would change and that her problems were waiting for her. She was happy to escape but she felt lower than ever knowing what she'd have to return to. And so she unwrapped his arms from her body and walked forward._

"_Babe, where are you going?" _

"_The bathroom," she answered with a smile as he reached for her again. "I'll be back. I'm having fun with you."_

"_Alright," he said with a slight pout. "You owe me a dance."_

'_I owe you nothing,' she thought with pure venom. "That's fine." And then the song changed to another song off Lady Gaga's new album. But she didn't head for the bathroom which was close on her right. She was headed for home where all she wanted to do was sleep through the nightmare of her life, including the bittersweet nightmare of this party. She crossed through the throng of dancers and recognized the song. She tilted her head back, smiled and let a tear roll down her cheek while singing the words "So happy I could die…"_

_

* * *

_

"Why is it so cold?" Kairi said through chattering teeth as she dug her hands into her jean pockets while she sat on the sideways tree branch that she, Riku and Sora rested on. "It's always so warm this time of the year." She looked at the gray sky and sighed.

"You said it Kai," Sora agreed while he rested on his back on the branch. "This weather sucks." And then he sneezed, nearly losing his balance and falling off the branch.

Riku looked at him and smirked his trademark smirk. "Is the baby getting sick?"

Sora pouted. "I'm not a baby!" he shouted indignantly. "And you can't tell me you aren't cold!"

The silver-haired teen shrugged his shoulders before his eyes fell on the mild waters. 'It is a little colder than usual.'

"I bet Wakka, Tidus and Shuyin are on the other side of the island playing blitz-ball," Sora said while laughing. "Those idiots are probably freezing."

"Tidus and Wakka maybe, but Shuyin is going out on a date with Lulu," Riku stated matter-of-factly.

Both Kairi and Sora stared at Riku incredulously. "Are you SERIOUS?!"

He nodded his head and Kairi looked off sadly. "Do you think Wakka knows? You know he's had the biggest crush on Lulu for like, ever."

"Beats me; but if Wakka really wants to go out with her, he can ask her himself. Things don't happen unless you make it happen," Riku sighed, still trying to picture Wakka, the orange-haired jock and Lulu, the pretty Goth senior. The match really didn't make sense. But Wakka was head over heels for her and nothing could change that.

"By the way," Sora began slowly, "wasn't Silver supposed to be coming with us today?"

"Yeah, what happened? I really wanted to hang out with her," Kairi said sadly. "I kinda wanted to reconnect with her since I haven't seen her all week."

"Me neither," Sora chimed in.

"When I came by the house, she was asleep. Her mom said that she didn't sleep last night so I didn't want to drag her out of bed to come hang out with us on a cold island," Riku told them, trying to hide his disappointment.

"She lived on Hollow Bastion. It's always cold," Sora exclaimed.

"Just let her rest," Riku advised his friends. She'll come around." Then he went off and thought to himself. 'Come to think of it, the last time it was this cold was when Silver left the island…'


	6. Chapter 6: Challenges

Author's Note:

whew! I didn't think I'd get another chapter out for a week but hey, i'm happy. and for you guys who were a little confused about the first part of the last chapter, it was a flashback. sorry if i didn't make it clear. anyway, this chapter will introduce a few new characters and a few potential problems. hope you guys enjoy and tell me what you think, ok? thanks guys!

-skye

* * *

"That math test was such a bust," Sora groaned while hanging his head in shame over his graded Geometry test. "My Dad's gonna kill me," he slipped his test in his binder and dropped his head on his desk.

Kairi, who sat beside him in the class, who had earned an A-, patted Sora on the shoulder and offered him a kind smile. "I'm sure he won't flip out. I mean, c'mon Sora it's just one bad grade."

Sora looked up and shook his head. "He used to teach Geometry before he became a middle school teacher, remember?" He sighed heavily. "If I don't get my grades up, I won't get to play blitz-ball."

His redheaded friend packed up her belongings as class was soon to be over. She wrapped a stray strand of hair around her ear and gave Sora's shoulder a gentle squeeze. "Don't worry about it. I'll come over tonight and help you with the homework. Is that okay?"

As usual, Kairi was ready at the drop of a dime to help out the young brunette and Sora couldn't help but smile back his trademark grin. "Thanks Kairi."

"But she's no miracle worker." Tidus teased as he put Sora in a headlock. "And I don't think Sora's focus will be on the books, if you catch my drift Kai." Sora's face turned pink and he struggled harder out of the blonde's grip.

"Back off Tidus or I'll tell Yuna that I caught you singing in the showers the other day after practice," Sora threatened. Tidus immediately released the brunette and turned away to hide his scarlet face.

"That's dirty Sora!" he yelled in defeat. "I'd expect that from Riku, but not you."

Sora rose from his seat when the bell rang and Kairi tried to stifle her giggles. "What were you singing anyway?" she asked as the trio left the class.

"He was singing that Taylor Swift song "You Belong with Me"," Sora replied before bursting out into a fit of laughter that had him clutching his stomach while sinking to the floor with Kairi facing the lockers, now unsuccessful at hiding her own laughter.

Tidus, who was now redder than he thought possible dropped his books out in the floor of the hallway and balled his fists. "It was stuck in my head!" he argued. "Besides, that chick is hot. Couldn't help but think about her."

"She's with that werewolf guy from Twilight," Kairi told him through tears. "I don't think you'd have much luck Tidus."

"That's 'cause she hasn't met me yet," the blonde said with a cocky grin.

"You have no shot," Sora retorted, finally able to breathe which earned him a rough shove from his teammate. The group walked through the halls until they got to the cafeteria and searched the area for the table they hung out at. On the way, Tidus passed the table where Yuna, the mix-matched eyed brown haired cheerleader, and her other two friends, Rikku and Paine sat and turned his head away, cheeks still burning from embarrassment.

"You know, Tidus," Kairi said as she noticed Tidus' discomfort, "if you just start talking to her, I'm sure you guys will become friends."

Tidus sighed heavily and dropped his books down on top of the table before sinking in his seat. "I know, Kai. I just don't seem to be able to say what I want to say, you know? It's like, every time I try to talk to her, things just come out all wrong."

"I really don't see how you and Shuyin are related," Sora opened a can of soda. "I mean, he just goes out and does whatever he wants. By the way, are him and Lulu still together?"

Tidus shook his head and reached into his backpack, pulling out a bag of chips. "He told me that they really didn't click. Plus he thinks she likes someone else. End of story."

"That's sad," Kairi popped a grape into her mouth. "But hey, now Wakka has a shot. Although, I heard that Rikku has a crush on him," she added.

"I'm sure he'd love to hear that," Tidus grinned and he started to say something before he felt a hand on his shoulder.

"Love to hear what buddy?" The orange-haired, blitz-ball playing teen sat beside his best friend while holding a blue and white blitz-ball.

"Uh," Tidus said with a full mouth, "don't worry about it."

Wakka's eyebrow rose in suspicion but he ignored it and took a handful of the chips out of Tidus' bag. "Anyway, are you guys going to Paine's party next week?"

"For sure!" Selphie cheered as she joined the group with Riku and Silver close behind. "It's gonna be great!" She took a seat besides Kairi and dropped her purse at her side. "I hope you guys make it."

"Although weirdly," Sora began, "I don't see Paine throwing a party."

"Me neither," Riku agreed. He then turned to Silver and smiled. "You wanna go?"

She sheepishly declined. "I don't know her, at all."

Selphie jumped from her seat and linked arms with Silver, pulling her towards Yuna's table. "Well there's no time like the present. Let's go."

Silver looked back and with her eyes, pleaded for Riku to help her, which he disregarded by waving her off. "There's no point in fighting Selphie when she wants to do something." She looked away in defeat and allowed the enthusiastic brunette to drag her off. The group watched the pair disappear into the crowd and then turned to Riku.

"You two seem close," Tidus commented.

"Really close," Wakka added with a smirk.

"We're just friends. Besides, it's not like we talk a lot," Riku told them.

"Is it me, or does Silver seem a little distant?" Kairi asked with concern. "I mean, she wasn't like Selphie but she wasn't that quiet. It feels like she's trying to get over something."

The group fell silent for a moment and then an idea ran through Sora's head. "Maybe she had to leave her friends behind when she moved here. That would explain a lot. I mean, if I had to leave you guys I'd be a little off for a while."

"Or a boyfriend," Wakka added. The table turned to him and raised his arms up in defense. "I mean c'mon guys. Silver's hot. Can't you see that happening?"

"So you've been checking out Silver?" Sora asked, watching Riku's expression carefully. He could see that Riku was eyeing Wakka carefully, waiting for an answer and trying to hide mild irritation. "What happened to Lulu?"

"I'm just saying," he pointed to all the guys in the group. "Don't pretend you haven't noticed. I saw Tidus staring at her the other day when she was walking to the library." The blonde blushed again for the third time today and stared past Wakka. "Point is, don't rule that out as a possibility. Besides, a couple of guys from the team have been asking about her…"

Shuyin, Tidus' tall, dirty blonde attractive older brother approached the group and held a stack of letters in his hand. Except for the height and differently spiked hair, Tidus and Shuyin were identical in every way possible. He handed the boys each a letter and greeted the girls. "Coach says you guys have to turn in this new waiver before tomorrow's practice."

"Is it for those games with Hollow Bastion and Twilight Town schools?" Sora asked. Shuyin nodded and placed his arm on Riku's shoulder. "But that's next semester; why are we doing this now?"

"Because we have a few pre-season matches in the winter," Shuyin told the group. "Scared of swimming in the cold water Sora?"

"No!"

"Then don't worry about it. Besides, the only schools you should be worried about are the Hollow Bastion schools. Those guys are tough."

"I hear that their condition is brutal," Wakka added. "I hear that half the people who try out get injured and don't even make the team."

Kairi cringed. "Can they allow that? I mean, isn't that a bit harsh?"

"That's life babe," Shuyin replied, earning a glare from Sora.

Silver then arrived with Selphie on her tail. "Selphie, is it possible that maybe you need to learn how to relax?"

"I'm perfectly relaxed!" she said with a bounce in her step. "Besides, Paine seems to like you."

'Yeah, we agree that you're on a constant sugar high without the sugar,' she thought while rolling her eyes.

Shuyin then stared at the pretty, green eyed, tanned girl standing besides Wakka and his eyes widened. "That can't be Silver," he said in disbelief.

Silver took a moment and gave the tall senior a once over and had to admit to herself that Tidus' older brother was very attractive. "Shuyin, right?"

"I was scared you wouldn't remember," he said with a flirtatious grin. He crossed the table over to her location and stood at her side. "Tidus told me you came back to the island but," he chuckled, "I expected this tomboy."

"That's what everyone thought," She told him while crossing her arms over her chest. "I heard you made captain of the blitz-ball team. Congrats." Silver added with a slight smile.

"Thank you. You know, when the season kicks off, you should come to the games."

"I'll think about it, kay? I have to go to the office to turn in some paperwork," she said to the table. "Riku, I'll see you next period."

"See ya, Silver." He called out while smiling as she walked off.

"Bye Silver," Shuyin said with an alluring smile that no girl could resist. "I'll see you later." She looked over her shoulder and waved as she disappeared through the double doors of the cafeteria with Shuyin still looking back at where she left.

"Tidus," his older brother said, "why didn't you tell me Silver was _that _hot?"

The blonde shrugged his shoulders. "You never asked. Why, do you like her or something?"

"I'm interested. I can tell she's that quiet type but she's low-key sexy."

"Shuyin, don't mess with her," Riku warned, his voice having a certain edge to it. He saw the way Shuyin was staring at her, and it made him slightly nervous. Shuyin was a good guy; that much was certain. But he couldn't help wonder about his captain's intensions with his best friend.

And for a moment, Shuyin was taken aback by how Riku's tone had changed. They were friends, but no one dared to mess with Riku. "Are you guys together or something? I'm sorry man."

"We're not," Riku said with his arms crossed over his chest.

"Ok, so you're protective. Don't worry about it. But I can at least talk to her. I won't touch her. Swear," Shuyin promised. "Now I gotta meet the coach. See you guys later," He waved them off and headed out the same doors as Silver, leaving the group in their silence until Wakka spoke up.

He twirled the blitz-ball on his middle finger. "Told ya. It's not like we're kids anymore and Silver grew up. She can take care of herself. Don't worry about it man." The last statement was aimed at Riku who was silent for the rest of the nutrition period. And it was just now that he realized how much time had changed things. He wanted to reconnect with Silver again and be as close as they once were but now Riku knew that in order for that to happen, he might just have to fight for it a little harder.


	7. Chapter 7: Bet

**Author's Note: Whew it's been a while since i updated. Thank you everyone who favorited this story and added it to your alerts list. I will try my best to give you my best when it comes to this story and i won't let you down. Anyway, I've wanted to take a break from the kids on the island and jump to my favorite OC's Valencia and Carmen. This chapter is short, but it gives a little insight to the story and a the past which the story really needed. anyway i hope you all enjoy the chapter and I'll get to the next as soon as I'm done uploading. Thanks a bunch!**

**-skye**

* * *

Valencia and Carmen sat at an outside café on Thursday afternoon, catching up on old times while enjoying their favorite cakes and such.

"You should come by my new boutique," Valencia started as she wrapped a strand of her hair around her ear. She took a bite of marble cake before setting the fork gently on the end of her plate. "I just finished a new collection of wedding dresses and I want your opinion."

Carmen took a sip of her apple martini and smiled. "Are you still the Island's top wedding gown designer?" It was true. Valencia Valentine was a famous wedding gown designer known all around the islands. Her gowns were elegant and very high fashion/couture that stood out among the rest that many other designers made. It wasn't long before the wealthy and affluent took notice of Valencia's talent as a designer and often times, she was called upon to create masterpieces for celebrities ranging from athletes, musicians and political figures. Her business prospered, and while her clients were often those with money, she would still create equally gorgeous gowns for those who didn't have the income of a singer.

"Only if you're still one of the top photographers around," Valencia answered with a smile that could light up the room. "Business has been great. I thought that when our family moved back out here, I'd lose business with the Hollow Bastion crowd. But I already have several clients traveling back and forth for me to make them their dresses. How have you been doing?"

Carmen grinned and ate a piece of her raspberry cheesecake. Like her friend, Carmen does exceptionally well as a photographer. She takes pictures for the top modeling agencies around the world and even does high profile events like weddings and awards shows. It would seem as though these two friends not only share many hobbies, but good fortune as well with their careers. "Pretty good," Carmen replied. "I just finished the Island Music Awards last weekend and I'm scheduled to fly off to Barcelona next weekend to cover a fashion show."

Valencia's eyes widened. "You should take me with you," she teased.

"Why?" Carmen's eyebrow was cocked. "So you could run around all of Barcelona? I would totally lose you."

"You know I'd take you too," Valencia said with a girlish giggle. "How does your husband, Mr. Shields feel about you jetting off to Spain next weekend?"

Carmen finished off her martini. "Jaden doesn't mind at all. His only concern is if I'm gonna run up the credit cards shopping or something like that," she said dismissively. "Besides, that means him and Riku can do the whole father-son bonding thing. A client of mine gave me tickets to a blitz-ball game and I'm gonna pass it on to them. They won't miss me."

"Ha, nice one," Valencia leaned back in her seat and looked up at the sky, which was finally clearing after hours of darkness.

"Had to find something to keep them occupied. By the way, Jaden wants all of us to have dinner at this new restaurant that's opening up. You should bring Silver."

"I will," Valencia finished the last of her marble cake.

"By the way, how is Silver doing?" Carmen asked with a smile. She leaned over the table and whipped her long blond hair over her shoulder. "She's certainly matured into such a lovely young lady."

"She has," Valencia agreed. "Silver doesn't really look her age though; sometimes I look at her and think she's seventeen."

"Silver still has some youth to her face. You know," Carmen's playful tone evolved into a more serious one, "have you considered putting her up for modeling? She's gorgeous, just like her mother."

"Thank you love, and I really thought about it."

"I'm telling you, a few of my clients would only have to look at her once, and they'd sign her. She's tall, slender but still has a body, and has amazing black hair. People would go crazy over her."

Valencia sighed and for the first time all day, her smile faded. She pushed back her plate and wrapped her scarf tighter around her neck. "Silver has gone through a lot since we left the island. I really don't want to put her through much right now."

Carmen's grin shrank a few molars. "What happened?"

"She's had it rough these past few months," she looked over her shoulders, "and I won't discuss it all in public but I'll give you all the details later." Carmen nodded her head. "But there was an incident in Hollow Bastion where she was sexually harassed."

"By who?" Irritation ran through Carmen's beautiful face, and her protective instincts as a mother were kicking in. She often thought of Silver as a daughter to her, and the feisty blond didn't take well to hearing that someone was causing problems with the young islander. Valencia shrugged her shoulders. "The police never caught him," the tan-skinned islander replied. "We were already planning on moving, but when that happened, my husband and I rushed to get her out of there. She really has had it hard for a while now. A lot of things happened in Hollow Bastion and I'm afraid it's train-wrecked Silver."

"The poor dear…"

"She went through some scary phases. At first, when all the drama started…"

"Which you have to tell me about…" Carmen added.

"I will," she said quickly. "She had problems eating. Then she slept for long periods of time while having nightmares often." Valencia sighed heavily and looked at her daiquiri. "We even considered therapy."

It was then that Carmen knew how serious the situation had been and her heart went out to Valencia and her husband, Ray. Silver was their everything. Sure enough they both had successful careers and a wonderful marriage, but Silver was the key to holding their happiness together. And for them to consider putting her into therapy, well she knew that they were probably in pain just thinking about the idea.

Carmen reached across the table and placed her hand over her best friend's. "It's okay sweetheart. If you need anything at all, you know who to come find. Silver seems resilient. If she's the girl I believe her to be, she'll pull through and be back to normal. I'm sure it'll take some time for her to heal, but she will."

"Thank you Carmen. It's such a relief being back on the island and being able to talk with you. I had friends in Hollow Bastion, but my best friend stayed behind," Valencia offered Carmen a shy smile, still thinking about her daughter and trying to figure her out.

"No problem honey. It'll all work out."

Valencia cleared her throat and put the conversation behind her. "By the way, how has Riku been?"

"Great actually," Carmen said with a smile. "He hates this cold weather; says it's hard to train for blitz-ball season."

"I bet he's got a girlfriend. He's so handsome, just like Jaden, I'm sure girls have been dying to get at him."

Carmen rolled her eyes while Valencia drank her beverage. "Don't remind me. He's always getting calls from the girls at school. Even during dinner, his cell phone starts vibrating every 2 seconds. It makes me sick to my stomach. But he doesn't have a girlfriend right now. Just broke up with some girl."

"Can't remember her name?" Valencia teased.

The blond shook her head. "I didn't really care for her. She was always over the house, clinging to him like flies on honey. Plus she wasn't the brightest crayon in the box if you catch my drift…"

Valencia broke out into a fit of laughter, nearly knocking over her glass in the process. "You're terrible!"

"She was some short girl with bleach blond and platinum hair and this annoying laugh. Sounded like a fish out of water…" With Valencia's infectious laughter, Carmen found it difficult to keep a straight face.

"Oh wow, he can do so much better. I mean," Valencia calmed down. "I don't know the girl personally, but I think he can do better."

"Me too." Carmen's soft eyes fell on the ocean and she sighed. "You know, Riku hasn't been exactly the same without Silver."

"Vice-versa."

"I remember when you all first moved away; he was so quiet and kept to himself when he was at home. It was nothing drastic, but I could tell that it really pained him to be separated from her," Carmen held up her hands and clasped them together. "They just seemed to mesh, like clockwork. Sure he's still outgoing, but even as the years passed, it was obvious that he still missed her dearly."

"Silver too. It's quite strange. Their connection with each other was so strong, even as children it was amazing," Valencia commented while resting her chin in the palm of her hand.

"You should have seen him when he got home after we had dinner," Carmen began. "He went through old photo albums for at least two to three hours."

"I can't really see him doing that," Valencia said with mild disbelief.

"Neither could I. You know, he really wants to reconnect with Silver."

"I could sense that, even for the brief time we all spent together at the table, I could see it."

"You know Valencia, I don't know all the details of the story at Hollow Bastion, but I do think that—"

"Riku being with Silver would be a good thing," Valencia finished.

"Exactly," Carmen agreed. "They deserve each other. She's a great girl, he's a great guy."

"And just give Silver some time. Sora, Riku and Kairi are gonna pull Silver back into the group and everything will be back to normal eventually. It'll be just like old times. The four of them were the best of friends."

"Friends?" Carmen stole a sip of Valencia's daiquiri. "I'd want my son to have a girlfriend who actually has a brain."

"Do you really see that happening?" Valencia reached for her drink and Carmen blocked her.

"Bet on it. I picture Riku asking her out before summer and they'll be dating. It's gonna happen."

"Alright fine," Valencia took this as a challenge and leaned back in her chair. "And if it does happen, you'll get the antique jade necklace one of my clients gave me." She held out her hand and Carmen returned her friend's drink. She gave Valencia Riku's trademark smirk and shook her hand.

"Bet."


	8. Chapter 8: A Secret and a Spark

**Author's Note: Definately didn't think I'd get another chapter out this quickly, but the horrible weather brought on some inspiration. Thank you guys who reviewed and read the story. It makes me all *searches deep inside for a feeling* fuzzy inside (excuse me but it actually warms my heart up to see that you guys like this story). Anyway, this chapter is short too, but it's gonna set the stage for the next few chapters where I can seriously cause drama for many of the characters (yes I'm evil like that) and start seriously kicking off this story. Anyway, enjoy the chapter and feel free to review when you want. Take care!**

**-skye**

* * *

On that Friday afternoon, it rained long and hard, forcing the inhabitants of the Destiny Islands back into their businesses or homes. The streets were empty save for a few cars; no doubt many of the drivers behind the wheel were on their way home. Silver just so happened to be one of the few people out in this dreadful weather, walking home from school under the protection of her umbrella.

It's not that she didn't like the rain; on the contrary, she enjoyed it more than the sun. But the sky was dark and ominous and even she had to admit that it would be better to enjoy the rain from inside the comfort of her bedroom.

'It looks like the world is gonna freeze over,' Silver commented as she walked down a deserted street. 'Maybe I shouldn't have stayed afterschool today to work on some homework.' She groaned and stared at the puddles around her on the sidewalk. 'Maybe I should have come home when Riku offered. At least I wouldn't be stuck in this mess.'

It was times like this that Silver wished that she wasn't so dead set on what she wanted to do at a certain time. Sure, she wanted to avoid doing homework on the weekend (and she accomplished this) but even for her, this rain was annoying. She cursed the school for making her wear a skirt even in this weather and shivered slightly as her knee-high socks were almost completely soaked. 'Man if I wasn't wearing these I'd probably have walking pneumonia by now.'

Silver came up to a stoplight and waited patiently for the light to turn green. It was even difficult to see the white paint on the streets directing the pedestrians. 'This is ridiculous.' She stepped back as several cars came speeding up to make sure that she wasn't splashed with water from along the streets, thus making her wet beyond all reason and no doubt dirty as well. She stared off to the side and continued to wait for her to cross until a blue Nissan Altima pulled up next to her. She looked on curiously to see who it could be and contemplated the idea of it being some stranger willing to pick up "the poor schoolgirl caught in the rain" but calmed down when she realized that it was Tidus' older brother Shuyin staring at her from the driver's side.

"Didn't think I'd see you out here," he said as he flashed a smile. "Shouldn't you be at home?"

"I had to stay after to do some homework," She explained. "I'm guessing they canceled practice today because of the crappy weather, huh?"

"Yeah," Shuyin replied. "Coach wanted to get out of this mess. I'm just picking up something for my mom." Silver nodded her head in understanding and Shuyin reached over to the passenger side and opened the door. "Don't just stand there. Let me take you home."

Silver contemplated this for a moment. On the one hand, she really didn't want to be a burden on the attractive blitz-ball captain. But on the other hand, this rain was too much. "Are you sure it's not too much trouble? I don't live too far from here."

Shuyin chuckled and shook his head. "I am NOT leaving you out in this rain. Just get in."

Silver hurried over to Shuyin's car and pulled down her umbrella before sliding into his warm, dry car. She shut the door behind her and put on her seatbelt before he sped off down the street.

"Thanks," Silver said as she shrugged out of her wet blazer, now irritated that her school blouse was wet as well.

"Don't mention it." He turned up the heater in his car as she placed her wet blazer in her lap. "Why didn't you call your parents or something to pick you up? I don't think they'd want you walking home in all this rain."

"I don't live too far from here," she began, "I didn't want to bother them."

Shuyin came to a stoplight and stared at the younger teen. Even though she had been nearly drenched in the rain, she still looked very pretty. It was something about how the raindrops looked like crystals hanging in her hair and how her wet clothes hung closely to her frame. It looked very natural instead of like the drowned-rat look most of the other girls sported throughout the day. His eyes traveled down her body and he caught himself as she turned to him. The light turned green and he drove off, silently cursing at himself for staring so hard and intently at her body. "That was considerate of you," he said after clearing his throat in an attempt to compose himself.

"I'm used to being in water though," She told him while wiping away a bead of rain from her forehead. "It really doesn't bother me."

"Same here," he said while turning the corner. "Riku told me you live on Arcadia right?"

"Uh, yeah," she replied. "I live at 358 Arcadia Avenue."

"So you are close," he thought out loud. "Do you just like hanging out in the rain whenever it kicks up?"

She pulled her blazer closer to her. "Sometimes, but I used to swim a lot so it doesn't bother me."

"Were you on the swin team?" he asked while watching the road.

Silver hesitated for a moment before staring out her window. "No. I used to play blitzball."

Shuyin's initial reaction was shock but he held it together. "For who?"

"Hollow Bastion Prep," Silver replied slowly, as if it pained her to admit it.

"Are you serious?" He asked in total awe. "They're like, one of the best high school blitzball teams period!"

"Yeah, they're good alright," she answered in a monotone voice.

Shuyin was obviously impressed with Silver. Not only was she attractive, she was a blitz-ball player for one of the top high schools on the Islands. They were the premier team on all of Hollow Bastion and their team had just won the championships in the tri-island area. For someone he knew to have been a part of that, he was beyond words…

"You must have been something special," he said as he turned onto her street. "Not that you aren't special," he added quickly, watching for her house carefully through the rain. "I'm talking to a celebrity here."

"It's seriously nothing," Silver said dismissively as Shuyin pulled into her driveway.

"It's not "nothing" Silver," he said as he opened his car door, walking through the rain, soaking his team hoodie on his way to her door. "It's pretty awesome. Why didn't you try out for the school's team? I'm sure you would have made it, no problem."

Silver grabbed her belongings and umbrella as she got out of the car. "Thanks again, Shuyin," she said politely as he walked her to her porch.

"Don't mention it, babygirl," he said with another alluring smile as he pulled her along. When they reached the safety of her porch, Silver set her belongings down on the step and reached for the house key in her blazer pocket.

"I'll see you at school," She said as she put the key to the lock. Shuyin walked back into the rain but hesitated. He placed his hand on the back of his head and called Silver's name. She already had the door open but as he called her, she stopped and turned her attention towards him. The blond then walked back up the steps and still grinned while standing in the rain.

"Hey Silver, can I ask you something?" His brilliant blue eyes connected with her pale green eyes, sparked in a way that worried and intrigued the soaked schoolgirl.


	9. Chapter 9: Chances Pt 1

**Author's Note: Well well well, I've been wanting to get this chapter done for a while but really didn't know how to go about it. You guys have NO idea how many tress I killed trying to get this written down XD anyway, thanks for all the hits and favorites. It really lets me know that you guys like the story. I appreciate you all patiently waiting for me to update. It looks like I have some free time now and I think I can update again very soon. **

**This is a two part chapter. The second, I'll try to get up tomorrow. I had to open it up and add interaction with a character I haven't really worked with in a while. Plus I wanted to get some foreshadowing in here somewhere. And for those who read the last chapter and got to the end, things will clear themselves up at the end. Don't worry :) Reviews are always welcome because it lets me know what you guys think and i do value your opinions. Whoops I'm rambling! Onto the story!**

**-skye**

* * *

Kairi stared at her reflection in disgust. 'I can't really wear this,' she thought sadly as she threw off the pink tunic and jeans she was wearing. She slipped on a pair of khaki shorts and a yellow t-shirt and stared at the chaos that was once her bedroom.

Her closet doors were flung open and several of her shirts and dresses were either struggling to stay on the hanger or on the floor. Several outfit combinations lay scattered across her white carpeted floors or sticking out of her drawers. She fell back against her fluffy pale blush comforter and sighed in defeat. 'How is it that I can't find a single thing to wear at the party tonight? Maybe I should have gone shopping with Selphie after all…'

It was finally the night of Paine's birthday party and, much to Kairi's dismay she was highly unsatisfied with her wardrobe. It wasn't like she didn't have anything to wear; it's just that the young redhead didn't want to wear what she had in her closet. She then groaned and reached for her cell phone near her pillow. She scrolled through her contacts list and though of everyone and anyone who might be able to help her out.

'Selphie and Yuna are probably helping set up,' she thought as she began to dial the latter's number. 'I could always call Rikku—uh…no.' It wasn't as if the young blond and she weren't good friends. It's just that Rikku's style of fashion was a little too….bold for Kairi. Sure enough Rikku had a strong toned body of the volleyball player that she was, but often times Rikku wore notoriously short skirts, shorts and tops that bared her midriff. The way Rikku dressed was fine, if that was how she felt comfortable, but Kairi just knew that if she allowed the bubbly volleyball player to dress her, _she _would be out of her comfort zone by a long shot.

And then it hit her. Kairi shot up from the bed and ran towards her neatly organized desk which was, sad to say, the only clean part left in her tornado of a bedroom. She picked up a number scribbled down on a sheet of pink stationary and dialed the number. Kairi slowly walked over to her bed and sat on the edge. It rang four times until the line clicked.

"Hello?" a familiar voice on the other end asked politely.

"Hi Silver, its Kairi…"

* * *

Silver entered Kairi's bedroom, dressed in a pair of gray sweatpants and a white tank top with a blue messenger bag. The younger teen ushered in the elder and shut the door behind her. Silver examined the room and was in slight shock. Kairi's room was exactly how she pictured it: very feminine and inviting. The room itself was fairly large and the pink and white theme was present. The walls were a very soft pink and the majority of the furniture was ivory. And, much to Silver's liking, there were many romantic lamps all about the room, giving it a nice, lived in feel.

"Please sit down," Kairi said kindly. Silver took a seat on the edge of the redhead's bed, the only spot aside from the desk that was free from clothing. 'Looks like a hurricane ran through here,' Silver thought as she scanned over the room. She then turned to Kairi who took a seat opposite of her in her pink revolving chair.

Kairi ran a hand through her short hair. She had no idea how to start up this conversation. It was true that Silver and she had been close friends when they were younger, but Kairi felt as though she was looking at a stranger. Six years apart had really done a number on their friendship. Truth be told, Kairi really had no idea why it was Silver she had called. They didn't speak much at school (partly because they were a year apart grade-wise) and because for now, Silver didn't hang out with their group. But for some reason beyond Kairi's understanding, she just _knew _to call her older friend for advice.

"Kairi, what's on your mind?" Silver asked in a voice so gentle and kind that she didn't expect it to come from the stoic, raven-haired girl. "Whatever it is, I'll do my best to help you."

She calmed down immensely from Silver's words and exhaled deeply. She tapped her fingers against the seat of her chair. "It's gonna sound really dumb. But…" she took a deep breath, "but I can't seem to find anything to wear to Paine's party!" she blurted out, now feeling her face heat up.

An air of silence filled the room. Kairi looked away in embarrassment and Silver's eyebrow cocked in surprise. "You wanted to ask _me _for fashion advice?" she asked after at least a minute.

And then Kairi broke out into a fit of laughter that made her clutch her stomach. "I-I'm sorry for s-sounding so dramatic. I-It's just that I've been at this for at least two hours." When Kairi finally regained her breath, she saw that Silver had cracked a smile. It wasn't a full on grin like she'd seen from Sora or even Selphie, it was a small half-smile. But even so, Kairi took it as a step forward and continued now that her breath had caught up with her. "I didn't know who to go to with this and I thought you'd be the best choice."

"What happened to Selphie?" Silver asked.

"Helping Paine I guess," Kairi responded. She glanced at the silver analog clock on the wall. It was 4:30 and the party started at 6. She had plenty of time to figure out what to wear, especially since she had another girl to help her out. "Why?"

"I just didn't think you'd call me for this. I'm not exactly coming off the runway right now in a pair of sweats and a tee," Silver told her while pulling the collar of her shirt.

"But you are gonna change for the party later, aren't you?"

It was Silver's turn for silence and she fell into her thoughts. True enough, she had half a mind of going. But the other half of her wasn't feeling up to it and the attachment that came with coming to the party. "I really don't know. I bought Paine a gift but…"

Kairi sat forward and her large blue eyes were pleading. "But you have to come! It's gonna be so much fun."

"Hmmm," Silver's lips pursed. "I'll worry about that later…"

"Fine then," Kairi sighed. "But I did think about calling Rikku too…"

"That blond chick who wears cloth for a skirt?" she asked suspiciously. Kairi's eyes asked for an explanation. "I saw her at the mall when I bought Paine's gift. She seems nice and all, but I'm not too sure about her outfit choices."

"Same here," the redhead said in agreement. 'At least we're on the same page.' Then she said, "I just wanted an idea on what to wear."

Silver leaned back slightly and stared at Kairi's closet. "I'm guessing you want something fun for the party that's not too conservative, but not too…_much_." Kairi nodded her head, relieved that Silver was on the right track with what Kairi was aiming for. Silver bent down and reached for her messenger bag, sitting it on her lap. "Any reason in particular you want to look nice for the party?"

Kairi's face shot red faster than she thought possible. She tried to cover it by placing some of her clothes neatly in her drawers. "No. I just wanted to look okay. I mean, it's a party after all." As Silver watched Kairi move, she knew that there was another reason behind the unexpected phone call. But to save Kairi the embarrassment of having to explain why, she dug into her bag and said, "Well let's see if this works."

* * *

Less than twenty minutes later, Kairi was putting on a pair of stylish, peach teardrop earrings that matched the outfit Silver had miraculously put together for her. Going with Kairi's wish of not wanting to go too bold or two plain, Silver gave her a peach colored halter top with spaghetti straps with a good portion of her back showing. To cover it up, Silver also gave Kairi a yellow, sleeveless, open cardigan sweater and a pair of gold bangles. From her own closet, Kairi sported a pair of light blue denim shorts and yellow flip flops. At this point, Kairi was busy brushing her own hair while Silver looked on.

"You look good," she complimented genuinely. "It's not too much, but enough."

"Thank you so much Silver," Kairi said as she turned around to face her friend. She smiled warmly and held her hands behind her back. "I can't believe you are letting me borrow all this," she added in amazement. The clothes she was wearing at the time didn't feel like the normal garment one could find in a Forever 21. Although relatively simple, they were made of a certain type of material that hinted at a pricy tag.

"It's yours," Silver said as she placed her bag over her shoulder.

Instantly Kairi began to rush towards her. "No way Silver," she argued. "These belong to you. I can't keep them."

"Kairi," Silver began slowly, "I have so many pairs of bangles that a few missing wouldn't make much of a difference. Besides, it's not like I actually wore that stuff. I don't wear a lot of yellow to begin with and that top wouldn't do me any favors."

Once again, Kairi was unclear of what Silver was saying and the older teen sighed, wishing she really didn't have to explain. "I bought that top over a year ago and never wore it because it was too small."

"By Silver, besides the height you couldn't weigh much more than me," Kairi said with reason.

"Kairi," Silver placed her hands in her pockets, "when I mean that top is too small, I meant that it was too small in the chest area if you catch my drift. I don't think wearing a top that tight around _that _area would do me any good."

The redhead quickly glanced at Silver and turned away in embarrassment. It was true. While Kairi was "humble" in the bust department, Silver was easily a couple sizes larger than her. "I see what you mean…" she said awkwardly.

Noticing her discomfort, Silver placed a hand on Kairi's shoulder. "Don't worry about it. Besides, pink isn't really my color either. When I was looking in my closet the other day, I thought about giving it to you."

"Really?" Kairi's blue eyes lit up.

"Yeah really," Silver told her. "I have to get going now." The redhead led Kairi out of her room and downstairs. Kairi's parents were out of town for the time being and Kairi's grandmother was upstairs sleeping in her room, so the two of them made a great effort to not make any noise.

"So are you going?" Kairi asked in a voice barely above a whisper.

Silver hesitated. "I'm still not sure…"

The pair now stood in the entryway and Kairi watched as Silver slipped on her black flip flops. "You really should come. It's going to be a lot of fun. Food, dancing…I know you'd find something you'd like…" She unlocked the door for Silver and stood patiently while she waited for an answer.

Silver walked down the porch and turned to Kairi. It seemed as though the younger girl honestly wanted her to come. She could tell it from her sincere blue eyes. But then again, Kairi was, if not anything else, sincere. There was something about her stare that seemed to push Silver more towards what Kairi wanted. It made her warm on the inside, as well as more than a bit nervous. "The chances of me coming are pretty high right now."

Kairi flashed a smile that could melt any heart. "Then that's good. See ya later!" Silver waved and waited for the door to close before she began walking down the street, wondering how the night would turn out and headed for home, turning her cell phone over in her hand multiple times as she walked.

* * *

Silver pulled her curly black and white-tipped hair into a neat side ponytail and brushed her bangs so that they framed her face in the way that she wanted. She took a step back and gave herself a once over in her closet door mirror.

She wore a royal blue, loose-fitting, off the shoulders tunic with a banded waist and large sleeves that were flowed. A pair of black leggings covered what could have possibly been a severely short party dress and on her feet, Silver wore a pair of black sandals with a strap around her ankle. As she put in her dangling teardrop earrings with a blue stone in the center, her hands trembled.

'It's been so long since I've been out,' she thought as she steadied her hands. Silver applied a light sheer gloss to her lips and screwed the top back on before tossing it into her drawer. She ran a hand over her trademark necklace and calmed herself, imagining this as a regular party back on Hollow Bastion. 'It's nothing to be worried about,' she reasoned with herself. 'Nothing life-changing is gonna happen. It'll all be fine.'

Silver took a long deep breath and looked at her cell phone. 'It's 6:19. I guess it's time to go.' She exhaled as she dialed a number in her phone book. A number that she hadn't thought she'd be calling for this reason. It clicked on the third ring and Silver waited for a response.

"Hey Silver, you ready to go?" the person asked with a smile in his voice. "I'll be there in 5 minutes."

Silver went over the thought and prayer that tonight wouldn't go to pieces. So she matched the other person's good mood and tried to smile through her voice as well. "See you in a few, Shuyin."


	10. Chapter 10: Locked in Time Pt 2

**Author's Note: Hi everyone! Sorry about holding part 2 for a while. I had a lot of school stuff i needed to take care of and now since I'm free, I can! Woot woot! Anyway, this is the coninuation of part one and I just noticed how long it is...sorry about that! But a lot of stuff went on and I had to get it out somehow. I hope you guys enjoy and reviews of course are always welcome! Thanks a lot for your support! I couldn't do it without everyone :) **

**-skye**

* * *

Silver awoke the next morning to the blinding sun blaring in through her open windows. She squinted her blood shot eyes against the white hot light and rolled on her back. To Silver's surprise, she was still in her party clothes the night before and chuckled. She sat up against her headboard and took her hair out of the clip and let it hang over her shoulder.

The analog clock on her nightstand said 11:48 in the morning and Silver wondered how long she had actually been out the night before. But as she pondered this while trying to kick her legs over the side of her bed, pain shot through them and Silver winced.

'Awesome,' she thought sarcastically as she pulled them back on the bed. Silver ran her hands gently over her legs and groaned. 'That's what happens when you party.' A mischievous grin spread across her face and she ran over the events of the night.

_Flashback_

_Silver stood at Shuyin's side as he talked to several senior members of the blitzball team and the girls they were with. They all seemed to be enjoying themselves and the conversation so Silver tried to join in to not seem like a dead weight. But truth be told, she wasn't enjoying herself and the laughter felt hollow to her. _

_Shuyin wrapped an arm around Silver's waist and pulled her close. In her mind, she was grimacing but on the outside her poker face came out and she smiled flirtatiously. "Are you having fun?" he whispered in her ear. Silver said she did, much to the blonde's pleasure._

"_Hey Shuyin," his friend called as he downed the rest of his soda. "Why don't you go dance with the girl?" _

"_Do you wanna go out there?" Shuyin then asked her._

_All Silver did was take him by the hand and lead him to the center of the dancefloor where fast rap song was remixed in techno format. Her heart pumped to the beat of the music and Silver turned her brain off for the time being, allowing herself to forget about everything and let the music take over. _

____________

_For several songs, Shuyin and Silver kept it simple. He'd hang tight to her, and she'd just dance. Silver found it quite nice actually that some guy wasn't pushing her to dance like a club-slut. Going back in her memory and thinking of the past, she preferred this to some of the other situations she had gotten into. Part of her knew Shuyin wasn't trying to be too pushy, especially since it was their first time out together. But Silver knew also, that Shuyin was a little bit timid and nervous. She could practically feel his heart pumping as they danced together. _

_After a while, Shuyin took her to the back in the game room and they sat on a lounge chair in the back of Paine's game room. 'What do Paine's parents do for a living? This house is huge,' she thought as she wiped a stray strand of hair out her eyes. _

"_I'm gonna get us something to drink," Shuyin told her. It was very clear that Shuyin was tired from dancing so long for his forehead glistened with sweat and, even though he was trying to control it, his breathing was heavy. "Are you going to be okay here by yourself?"_

_Silver threw him a playful smirk. "I'm a big girl," she leaned back against the chair, "I can handle myself." Shuyin patted her knee and smiled before he disappeared off into the crowd. When he completely disappeared from sight, Silver let out a sigh and leaned against the arm of the chair. _

'_I'm having a little bit of fun,' Silver looked around the room and saw several couples huddled up together and felt extremely out of place. 'But it still doesn't feel right,' the playful expression faded, replaced with a neutral one with eyes filled with deep sadness. She stared off to the side of the room where she saw Sora, Tidus and Wakka playing pool with one another. She saw Selphie and Kairi dancing with Paine, the silver-haired birthday girl and her best friend Rikku (who of course managed to only be wearing a pair of denim short shorts and a white vest without a tank under it) and assumed that they were still out there dancing. _

"_Finally got tired?" a familiar silver-haired teen asked jokingly. Silver perked up and turned to see Riku sitting on her left hand side. Dressed simply, but still looking very attractively, Riku wore dark jean, a midnight blue button-up shirt and clean white sneakers on his feet with his trademark leather gloves. _

"_A little," Silver told him, although it was very clear that it was Shuyin who was tired. "I haven't seen you all night."_

_Riku leaned back and placed his arms over his head. "That's because you never bothered to check where I was," he teased. _

"_Oh," Silver didn't know whether he was kidding or not and placed her hand on the side of her head, offering him an apologetic smile. "I'm sorry about that."_

_Riku waved her off. "No worries. But I didn't think you'd come so I'm a little shocked to see you here. When we talked on Friday, you said you didn't think you'd show. What made you change your mind?"_

_Silver sat up and leaned more towards Riku. "Kairi kind of pushed me to come," she admitted. And then she turned away from him slightly. His intense eyes were on her and she could feel it. It was like they were searching for something and for some reason, Silver couldn't help but blush and was thankful that the dim lighting hid this. _

"_Are you having a good time?" he asked casually._

"_Yeah," Silver answered after a short period of silence. _

"_You don't sound too sure…"_

"_I am," she reassured him, although as the words escaped her mouth, she was wondering if she said this to assure herself that she was having a decent time. And she was. It was just that something felt a little _off_ somehow. She couldn't quite put her finger on it, and now it was bothering her. _

"_Tidus told me you came here with Shuyin," Riku said as he stared at the people on the dance floor._

_His words were heavy and instantly Silver felt guilty for an unknown reason. So she sank back in her seat but put on that same straight face she'd been using all night. "I did," was her reply. "Is there a problem with it?"_

_As if on cue, Shuyin returned, handing Silver a drink and taking a seat on her opposite side. "Hey Riku, what's up?" he asked as he placed an arm around Silver's shoulders. _

"_Taking a break," he replied casually, although Silver could tell that something was hiding behind his friendly stare. "Rikku had me hemmed up for a while." As Silver took a sip of her Coke, she closed her eyes and hid the irritated expression on her face. _

"_I saw you guys," Shuyin said with a grin. "You looked like you were having fun."_

"_I was." Riku replied. Silver continued to fight the growing irritation by continuing to drink her soda. "I just wanted a break. Besides, Rikku wanted to dance with some other girl and I saw Silver sitting over here by herself; I wasn't going to leave this girl all by herself." And then he added with a grin with hidden meanings. "Someone could of snatched her up."_

_Shuyin chuckled and it was obvious that he didn't totally catch what Riku said/meant. Either that or he chose to ignore it. "I think it's time we got back to the party. You wanna dance Silver?"_

_She finished the Coke and nodded her head while Riku stared at Shuyin with a raised eyebrow. "Silver dances?"_

"_We were out there for a while in the middle of things," Shuyin told him. He rose and held out his hand for Silver to take. She stood and held tight to his hand but Riku stopped her by putting a hand on her shoulder. _

"_Shuyin, hold on a second," Silver said as she took a step away from Shuyin although still with fingers laced together. Riku stood close and whispered in her ear. _

"_I didn't know my Silver could dance." His voice was dark and flirtatious and for a moment, chills went down Silver's spine. "You owe me one later as soon as you slip away from your boyfriend." He chuckled and walked away towards Sora and their group of friends at the table, not even looking back as he did so. Shuyin pulled her forward and led her onto the dancefloor once again. Silver looked over her shoulder quickly before Shuyin could notice and then gave him a smile, all while her heart pounding and beating uncontrollably. _

__________

_Shuyin and Silver were in a semi-deserted area of the living room. Her back was against the wall with her hands at her sides while Shuyin stood dangerously close with his hands on her hips. His breathing was heavier than before and he had a sort of hungry look in his eyes that would have worried Silver, had she of a) not known Shuyin and understood that he wouldn't do anything over the top b) been in total control of herself and her emotions. _

"_I didn't know what would happen tonight," Shuyin began slowly. "But I'm glad you came with me."_

"_I'm glad I came," Silver replied._

"_Glad you came with me?" he asked, now hopeful. Shuyin leaned in closer and their faces were nearly touching. Silver closed her eyes and chuckled. "I guess so." Silver replied coyly. Deep inside, her emotions were all over the place and, despite the calm façade she had on the outside, it was only that: a façade. So many things were running through her mind that she wanted to scream and run out of the party to a place where she could sort things through but doing so right now, at this point in time, would only be embarrassing and cause confusion. Plus it would probably hurt Shuyin and that was the last thing she wanted to do. _

"_Are you trying to play with me?" he teased as he wrapped his arms around Silver and pressed her tightly to his body._

"_What do you think I'm doing?" she asked back as she rested her head against his chest and imitated him in wrapping her arms around his torso. _

_Shuyin studied her face carefully for several long, almost painful moments. Then, Shuyin tipped her chin up so that she'd look him in the eye. Being this close, Silver could definitely feel his heart pounding; not just in his chest, but against hers now too. "I can't read you."_

"_Don't worry about it," she advised him, now feeling extremely leery of what Shuyin was probably feeling. Her heart cried out in a fit and now she wanted nothing more to get out before this got any heavier. But knowing full well that she couldn't, Silver stayed locked in the embrace with her head buried in his strong, broad chest and arms locked around his middle. 'Don't even worry about it,' she said to herself mentally as the party went on and her mind and emotions raced with the upbeat tempo of the music and chaos surrounding her. _

_End of Flashback _

After she remembered everything, Silver buried herself in her covers, hoping the comfort of her bed would protect her from the incidents of the night before. So much went on emotionally that the girl was having a hard time sorting it all out. Shuyin's face was engraved in her mind at this point and she wanted to go back in time and change the way things happened. She knew he was probably expecting more from her than just a friendship… unless he was toying with her and Silver highly doubted that.

She curled into herself and held her necklace close to her heart. Another face flashed through her mind, and this one caused her the most internal confusion. And with all that was going on, Silver wanted nothing more that to talk to one person. That one person would understand and help her out, but that was very impossible at this time. So Silver drowned in her emotions and prayed for a deep, deep, dreamless sleep to take her away from the world she was trapped in.

* * *

Riku walked out of his bathroom wearing only a pair of basketball shorts with a black tee shirt hanging over his shoulder. It was very obvious that all his years of being involved in sports had clearly given him the body of an athlete. He wasn't too muscular, but he was definitely more so than most of the other guys his age.

He threw on the shirt and plopped down on his bed, just in time to see the sunset. Riku allowed the window to stay open because he liked the light ocean breeze and for some reason, it was very calming and soothing to him. Especially now in his time of confusion.

The party went off great. No one was standing around, not having a good time. Everyone was dancing, playing in Paine's game room, or just conversing with one another. His friends enjoyed themselves fully and they all seemed so carefree. Well, save for Sora who couldn't keep his eyes off Kairi the entire night.

Riku chuckled at this but couldn't help but feel genuinely sorry for his best friend. Sora was usually a carefree and social person, but when it comes to Kairi (at least from what Riku sees) Sora shuts down and keeps to himself. Riku himself admits that Kairi is cute and any guy would be happy to be in her presence. But what Sora doesn't understand (or he does but he just doesn't do anything about it) is that if Sora doesn't get a good jump on it, then another guy will. And who's to say that Kairi would date another guy? 'Those two are practically made for each other.' He thought with a smile.

But in, thinking of Sora and Kairi, Riku remembered what was giving him problem and sighed, thinking of everything that happened last night at Paine's birthday party.

_Flashback_

_Riku stood outside on the patio with Paine on his left and Rikku on his right. He mildly sipped his soda as the two girls chatted amongst each other and with him listening occasionally._

"_Paine, I can't believe you aren't out there dancing," Rikku said with a pout. "It's a party. You're supposed to dance like everyone else."_

_Paine, a pale girl with short, spunky silver hair and fire red eyes shrugged her shoulders nonchalantly. Unlike Rikku and Yuna, who tended to wear bright colored clothes and tended to fall under bubbly cheerleader category, Paine opted for a different wardrobe and style that most people would consider punk rock. For her birthday, she wore a black, corseted halter top, black skinny jeans, black pumps and studded bracelets on her bare arms. _

"_I'm not everyone else here," Paine told the blonde flatly. "I'll dance when I feel like it. Don't you worry, I'm having fun doing what I'm doing now."_

_The blond continued to pout. "I'll drag you out there if I have to myself."_

"_That'd be something to see," Riku added, picturing the two girls dancing together and laughing at the thought. _

"_By the way, did you see Shuyin out there?" Rikku asked as she took a glance at the dancefloor._

"_Yeah, didn't he come with Silver?" Paine said. "They've been together all night. It's been kind of hard to miss."_

_Riku felt a wave of irritation and frustration rush over him and hid it quickly. He had a feeling Shuyin had a thing for Silver, it was very obvious the first time they met and the days following. Shuyin said he wouldn't mess with Silver and that they'd just talk. But he obviously ended up asking her out anyway. At least that's what Tidus told him earlier in the evening. Ever since that moment, Riku had been slightly tense and was severely out of whack. It wasn't that he didn't like Shuyin as a friend. In fact, they were very close. But to Riku, Shuyin being in the picture would only make it that much harder for him and Silver to become friends again and that made Shuyin a rival to Riku in a way. _

"_Don't they look so cute together?" Rikku practically squealed and pointed to the pair. Paine shrugged her shoulders and Rikku continued to look away from the spot where they were supposed to be. "I think they're dating now."_

"_I doubt it," Riku said without thinking. "I can't even picture them together like that. Shuyin usually goes for other girls."_

"_Well," Rikku began slowly as she placed her hands behind her head, "Silver is pretty hot and obviously he's gonna go for it. As much for her personality, I don't really know. But she does seem nice."_

"_I like her style," Paine said with a slight smile. "She's laid back."_

"_True, very true." Rikku turned to the silver-haired boy and grabbed his hand. "Do you wanna dance with me?"_

_Riku chuckled to himself and waved to Paine as the tiny blonde pulled him off onto the dancefloor. "Not like I have a choice…"_

_Rikku pulled Riku into the center of the floor with the pair of them danced to a trance song. Rikku was a very…passionate dancer. She was pretty good by most standards but what usually set her apart was that she was also very bold. With every guy she danced with, they usually ended up looking like a couple by the sheer amount of closeness. Riku had to admit that he liked her as a dance partner because she was fun and full of energy. She wasn't scared to pull him out there like a good majority of the girls who just stood around him and they just had a good time together. But it all went south however when Riku looked over his shoulder and saw Silver dancing with Shuyin._

_Two things shocked Riku: the fact that Silver was actually dancing, something she claimed she never did as a child and two: the way they danced together. _

_Silver and Shuyin really did dance as if they were lovers. Their bodies moved together so intimately and they were so in tune with each other. While it was clear that Shuyin was an decent dancer, it was very clear who was the leader. Her body moved so gracefully and so fluidly that it seemed effortless for Silver._

_Riku watched Silver carefully and something came over him that almost made him forget where he was at and who he was with. Besides her obvious attractiveness, Riku found something else in Silver that struck several chords. As he continued to watch Silver and Shuyin dance, he couldn't help this yearning he had for her inside and he couldn't deny the jealousy in having to watch another guy dance so intimately with her. _

_Then the song changed to a dancehall song (a genre that was steadily becoming more and more popular on the islands) and the tempo kicked up. The beats and bass line were more powerful than before and the lyrics to the song were already provocative enough to put the song on a list of "Banned" by parents. _

_Rikku caught onto the change and danced faster, forcing Riku to keep up with her. But just like Rikku, Silver did the same as well. He tried to keep his focus on the girl he was with, but when he looked up, he nearly stopped dancing all together. _

_Shuyin's eyes were glued to Silver and he was oblivious to everything around him. But Silver caught Riku's gaze and smiled furtively with a fire in her eyes he'd never seen before. With the new song, Silver wound her body against Shuyin's in perfect rhythm to the music. Silver threw a smirk his way and she closed her eyes, allowing herself to be taken in totally by the song. She pushed her body closer to Shuyin's, if that was at all possible, and her movements nearly drove Riku into a fit. _

_Then she opened her eyes and she stared flirtatiously into Shuyin's before turning her gaze back to Riku. Her enticing movements and captivating green eyes called to him now more than ever. She wasn't out of control or too provocative with her dancing, but it was definitely sexy and beyond anything Riku imagined Silver of doing. _

_It was the strangest thing. Even with Rikku, as attractive as she was, Riku wanted Silver and only her. At this point, he didn't just yearn for her; it was a deep desire. His mind wandered with thoughts of Shuyin disappearing and Riku stealing Silver away to where he could have her all to himself. He knew it was selfish, and he knew it wasn't fair to Shuyin. But he couldn't help these feelings welling up inside him. _

_Finally the song ended and many of the couples broke apart. A slow song came on and the couples remaining held each other close and continued to dance. Riku continued with the blonde and held her. Not like he would a girlfriend, but close in its own right. Shuyin still held fast to Silver as he wrapped his arms around her waist and her arms around his neck. They looked like the perfect couple and it greatly bothered Riku. _

_After a couple of minutes, as the song progressed, Riku looked over Rikku and saw Silver's face. Had it of not been for her expressive eyes, Riku would have believed that she was having fun. But her gorgeous green eyes were filled with deep sadness. Silver held Shuyin close, but it was quite obvious that she was not alright. Something was severely off and Riku could tell that she was probably holding onto Shuyin not because she was severely infatuated with him, but because she _needed _to be held. _

_Riku caught Silver's gaze and although the sadness slightly faded, something else took over. Their eyes locked and for a moment, no matter how brief it was, their feelings of wanting to be with each other were quite clear. Riku knew that he wanted Silver in his arms, and he had a feeling that if it weren't for Shuyin, she would be there, wrapped in his strong, protective embrace. _

_Several seconds after the song ended, Shuyin and Silver broke apart. Her face showed no signs of the earlier emotions and she offered him a smile. Riku watched painfully as Shuyin led Silver off into a dark area of the house, waiting for her to turn back or give him a look over her shoulder. But nothing of the sort happened. And he was left with Rikku, wondering what in the world transpired between him and his longtime friend. _

_End of Flashback_

Riku shook his head and tried to sort everything out. He ran his hands through his hair and an image of Silver flashed through his mind. All the feelings he had last night train-wrecked him and he didn't function well after that. Well, Riku still kept his cool, but his mind was so focused on Silver that nothing else really mattered.

Jealousy ran through Riku's thoughts and he tried to brush it off but couldn't. Next it was that yearning that he felt for Silver that put him further off the map. Then it was that look of sadness Silver held in her eyes that snuck back into his mind. And finally, it was that desire that completely threw him off. Never before in Riku's life had he wanted someone so bad in a romantic way and if it weren't for that seductive stare in her eyes, he might have been able to bear it a little more.

Riku groaned and sat with his eyes focused on the setting sun, trying to make sense of things. He had never been so conflicted about any one thing or person in his life. Things always came easy for Riku. Whatever he wanted or needed, he got. Whatever he wanted to know, he found out about it. But he was completely left in the dark and the only thing he could think about, the only person who could answer all this was Silver. And still, he knew there was a distance between the two of them and figuring this out would be a bigger challenge than he could even imagine.

With all his thoughts on Silver, a secret Riku kept to himself for several years in the past, was starting to make its way into his present, throwing him into a total disarray. A secret that could possibly set him free and make everything right, or take everything he was working for and make a turn for the worst.


	11. Chapter 11: A Little Bit of Insight

**Author's Note: hey it's me again! sorry for the long absence. school is, as usual, a royal pain in the neck. I wanted to thank you guys for the reads, the review and the favorites adds. i really appreciate it. Well, its Valentines Day once again and i thought i should upload for once on this holiday. anywho, this chapter is short, but i wanted it to be this way so that i can update a little quicker. and yes, there is a bit of romance in it so its not all boring and facts and bleh! hope you guys like it and reviews are always welcome. take care!**

**-skye**

* * *

Silver eyed the analog clock on her nightstand, watching the hands tick away slowly, bringing the day one second closer to its end. As soon as the clock read 2 o'clock in the afternoon, Silver moaned and ran her hands along the electric blue comforter she sat on.

'What the heck was I thinking that night of the party?' she thought tiredly as she ran her fingers through her low-hanging ponytail. 'What am I gonna do about Shuyin? How could I have been so stupid?'

It was true that Silver had a good time at Paine's party that night. It was just the mind-numbing relaxation she needed. But what Silver didn't realize what _how _close her and Shuyin had gotten that night. As she went through the events, all the whispering, the dances, and the embraces, Silver blushed fiercely and buried her head in her hands.

"Oh my God, what have I done?" she whispered.

A slight knock on the door broke Silver from her thoughts and her head snapped up to the door, where her mother was standing.

"What did you say back there Silver?" Valencia asked kindly.

Silver shook her head and rubbed her elbow with her free hand. "Uh, nothing, Mom," she replied, slightly embarrassed, "just talking to myself."

"That's the first sign of insanity baby," Valencia told Silver.

'Maybe so,' Silver thought darkly.

"Anyway, how are you feeling?"

"I'm alright for the most part," Silver then eyed her mother suspiciously, "Why?"

"You have a visitor," Valencia stepped to the side and Riku, dressed in a black t-shirt and jeans took her place. He offered Silver a smile and a wave as a greeting with Silver meekly waving back. "I invited him over for dinner. His parents are gonna be out 'til late."

Silver nodded her head in understanding. 'Oh this is gonna be nice,' sarcasm laced every word in her thoughts, 'I was hoping to avoid everyone from the party until Monday morning. Well, no time like the present.'

"Well I'll leave you two alone," Valencia said as she closed the door behind Riku. "You guys have fun now." And then they were alone.

Riku placed his gloved hands in his pockets and scanned over the room. "It's very you, I have to admit it."

Silver wrapped a strand of hair round her ear. "Is that a good thing, or a bad thing?"

Riku looked over his shoulder and stared at Silver with a slight smile on his face. "What do you think?" And with that he continued to study the bedroom while Silver sat against the headboard, watching him intently. Riku stood at her bookshelf and scanned over the hundreds of titles on the shelves.

"There's no way you read all this," he said as he pulled out a thick black book, leafing through the pages.

"I have," Silver told him. "That's what I do half the time."

He chuckled and placed the book back in its original spot. "What do you do the other half of the time?"

Silver looked off to the side, feeling embarrassed for an unknown reason and frowned. "Don't worry about it."

Riku now found himself standing over Silver's vanity mirror and nightstand. "I bet I have an idea of what you like to do," he said with a smirk in his voice.

On that, Silver kicked her feet over the edge of the bed and made her way to his location. "And what might that be, huh?" Riku picked up a large, oriental black fan and opened it before waving it in front of his face.

"My guess would be collecting a lot of trinkets and stuff," he told her before blowing air Silver's direction. He set it back on her table and glanced over all the necklaces, rings fans. "I mean, you have a lot of this kind of stuff on your shelves and nightstands."

"Are you saying I have too much stuff?"

"No actually, it actually looks good in here," Riku told her. "All that black and blue gives it a bit of edge. I bet your dad hates it though."

For the first time in a while, Silver laughed an infectious, musical laugh that caught her by surprise. She covered her mouth in surprise and stared off in another direction. She rubbed her elbow awkwardly, catching Riku's attention. "Are you embarrassed of laughing?" he asked softly as he grabbed her free hand.

After a slight pause, she said, "I just haven't laughed in a while, that's all."

Even as short as her response was, Riku could clearly hear the sadness in Silver's words. They sounded heavy and strained, as if she didn't really want to answer his question. "Why is that?" he asked, gently giving her hand a squeeze. "You always used to laugh."

"I'm just not really in the laughing mood right now," she said without thinking.

"What's wrong?"

Silver's hand went slack and she pulled free from Riku, opting for a seat in her revolving chair. "You can sit on my bed if you want."

Riku glanced at the large, comfortable-looking black and blue bed. "Are you sure your mom won't mind if I'm on your bed? Most moms don't want guys sitting on their daughter's beds."

Silver waved the statement off. "My mom loves you. It's not like we're on the bed. And you aren't my boyfriend, so she has nothing to worry about."

Taking this as permission, Riku sat on the edge of her bed. Not wanting to push it on his first trip, he just made due with the corner. "So you've actually had a guy in your room before?"

"Well are you counting yourself?" Silver asked coyly, resting her chin in her hands.

"Kind of," he replied.

"You should. Last time I remembered, you didn't have the _gear_ to be considered anything else but a guy," Silver said with a smirk.

Riku's eyebrow went up and he slid further on the bed. "I almost forgot about your mouth."

Silver replied by giving him her own smirk and ran her finger along one of her many fans sitting on her desk. "Well I'm back so don't forget it."

"I won't. But answer the question; have you had a guy in your room before? Not counting me," he added quickly.

Silver's facial expressions meant that she was debating whether or not she should tell Riku this information or not and Riku caught on. "So you have. I knew it by the look on your face."

"Okay, so it was a couple of times," Silver admitted, taking hold of the fan. "But…we never did anything stupid. My dad was always listening for anything that didn't sound right."

"I can see it. Your dad is cool, but he's always been protective. I'm starting to wonder why he never busted me for being in the room with you all those times," Riku said, going off into his memory.

"Riku, we were kids and therefore, he had _nothing _to worry about. Besides, we aren't together so my dad has nothing to worry about."

It was Riku's turn for silence and the words lay heavy on his heart and mind. He combated the emotions inside him by staring blankly out of her window, keeping his mind off the last thing Silver said. "Speaking of which, I talked to Shuyin yesterday."

Silver's eyes went wide with shock and she played with her fan in order to distract herself. "Oh, okay…so?"

Riku laughed hollowly and placed his hands behind his head. "I don't know what you did to him, but I swear he's in love with you."

"That can't be right," she said in a monotone voice.

"Silver, I gotta say," he began slowly, "I, no we, all saw a whole other side to you that night. We didn't know you could party and dance like that."

"Oh god, don't tell me I looked like a slut," Silver said worriedly.

Riku shook his head. "No. There's a difference between dancing like you're easy, and just being sexy with it." Silver's face flushed crimson and she felt the heat rising to her cheeks. "And trust me, you weren't like the other girls there." Riku hopped off Silver's bed and stood over her, tilted her chin up with his right index finger. "You had every guy in there wishing he was Shuyin."

The look in Riku's eyes was different from anything she had felt and seen from him before. Of course she was used to that cocky grin and smirk, but now, Silver could tell that he was being flirtatious and it sent chills up the back of her neck. But she refused to let it show. "What else did Shuyin tell you?"

Riku's hand dropped indefinitely and he ran it through his hair. "Basically he told me that you guys clicked and stuff; said that you looked really hot and that you dance well."

"I see," her voice trailed off to nothing and her eyes fell to the floor.

"You don't sound too happy about you guys getting together," Riku stated plainly. He took a seat on the floor against her bed, studying her face carefully. "You guys _are _together, right?"

Silver sighed heavily and slumped to the floor. Riku patted the spot next to him and she made her way over to his right hand side. For the longest time, she sat there without saying anything, the only sound in the room being their steady breathing and the wind beating against the wind-chimes she hung outside her window. "You know you can tell me anything, Silver. I know it's been years," Riku placed his hand on Silver's shoulder, "but I still want to know what's going on with you."

Hearing these words come from Riku's mouth were like a blast from the past. Often times, whenever Silver was having issues, Riku would be the one she'd turn to. No matter what was going on, he was always there for her, offering words too wise for someone of his age.

"Well," she sighed, "I don't really know if I want to be with him."

The image of Silver looking over Shuyin's shoulder, staring straight into Riku's eyes, flashed in his mind. "What happened? Did he do something to you?" the edge in his voice was back and her answer was key in whether or not Riku would approach Shuyin.

"No, not at all," Silver replied. "He was cool, I just didn't expect to be with him the whole night."

"Weren't you his date?"

"Yeah, I guess. But I expected him to go off with another girl and go be with her for a while. We were together the _entire_ time."

"Like I said Silver, he was practically in love with you," Riku said, stifling his urge to roll his eyes at Shuyin. "You know, everyone thinks that you guys are gonna be going out now. I'm sure he does too."

"But seriously Riku, I don't want to look like I just screwed around with him. I didn't. We had fun. Oh man, I don't know what to do," she dropped her head in confusion and shut her eyes.

Riku wrapped an arm protectively around her shoulders and pulled her close, just like he did when they were young. "You know, no one can tell you what you can and cannot do Silver. At the end of the day, you're gonna have to live with yourself, not the people butting into your life. But let me ask you this, do you want to be with him? Because the longer you drag this out, the longer you risk hurting yourself and Shuyin."

Silver's eyes shot open and she stared at Riku incredulously, never before hearing such eloquently accurate words come from someone their age. "Since when are you this all-knowing genius?"

"I've always been smart, Silver," he told matter-of-factly.

"And cocky," she added.

"But no joke, if you don't wanna be with Shuyin, tell him fast or else he'll go around telling everyone he's yours."

"I just feel so bad. What if I led him on?" Unconsciously, she curled into Riku and rested her head on his shoulder. "I wasn't too much, was I?"

"Nah, if anything he just wasn't used to having such a pretty girl on his arm," Riku said, looking down at her soft face.

Silver felt enlightened and offered Riku a smile. "Thanks Riku. I think I know what to do now."

"No problem. You just needed to sort things out."

"So true," Silver agreed. "Half the time nowadays, I can't sort things out in my head and they blow up in my face."

"And we have another problem," Riku grinned madly and tickled Silver's stomach, causing her to fall back in his lap. "You never came back for that dance you promised me."

Silver found herself in a fit of uncontrollably laughter and fought back against Riku by swiping at him. "S-Stop it! I c-can't breathe!" she yelled.

"Then promise me that the next time we go out and there's dancing at a party, you owe me one. It's the least you could do for my amazing advice."

Silver grabbed Riku's wrists and flipped him on his side, catching him off guard and freeing herself from his grip. "Fine, fine, fine." She pinned him to the floor and matched his wicked grin from earlier. "But don't think it'll be easier to nail me like you used to do when we were kids. I'm a lot stronger now than what I used to be."

When Riku finally caught his breath, even he had to admit that Silver's strength was a bit startling. Not many guys his age could flip him so easily and few to none could actually pin him down. But their closeness was what stood out to him more. She was practically leaning against him and he could feel her cool breath on his cheeks.

"I guess so, but I'm still stronger than you," and with that, Riku flipped Silver over so that she was under him. She yelped in surprise and found herself struggling in his grip, her breath uneven and heavy.

For a moment, just one moment but long enough, Silver and Riku's eyes were locked. Their position was intimate for their bodies were nearly pressed together with arms keeping them locked together. In their eyes was a spark of something new to them, something strange, something bordering sensual…

"Silver!" Valencia called. "Help with dinner!"

With that, Silver snapped out of her trance and pushed Riku off her, scrambling to her feet so that she could reach her mother's side, thankful for the interruption from what could have been a very…intense situation.

Once Silver disappeared from view, Riku was left alone with his thoughts. He sat up straight, leaning against Silver's bed, confused with what had just transpired. It was a completely different experience from what happened at the party, but with dangerously similar feelings floating about. It was that same longing desire but now, a new element had been thrown into the mix: physical contact. That same incredible intensity in their eyes was present, but with the contact, things had become a lot more intense, leaving Riku to wonder whether or not this attraction was all in his head, or as real as Silver before him.


	12. Chapter 12: Turbulence

**Author's Note: **I am soo sorry for taking such a long time to update! Things got so much more hectic than i planned and updating was next to impossible. But I have a long break coming up so there might be a new chapter in the next week or so. I would like to thank all my readers and **Kanika Meskhenet **for the review. I will try to get more chapters cranked out as quickly as possible. Reviews are welcome. Take care!

-skye

* * *

Silver watched the clock anxiously as it inched closer to 1:00 in the afternoon, bringing on lunchtime. She dreaded today of all days because Shuyin had promised to meet her outside of the classroom. As the long hand ticked towards the twelve, her heart began to beat heavier against her chest.

'What am I supposed to tell him? What if Shuyin expects something more?' Her thoughts were plagued with images of his face, and even more disturbing to Silver, the image of him holding her in his arms flashed through and burned itself in her memory. Her head dropped low and only when she felt a tap on her shoulder did she perk up.

"Are you gonna be okay, Silver?" Riku asked quietly as he leaned on the edge of her desk.

"I think so," She replied as she slung her backpack strap over her shoulder. At that moment, the bell rang and the students collected their belongings and headed off to lunch.

"Really now? You look like you're waiting to be sent to the electric chair," Riku said observantly as he grabbed his backpack.

"Not exactly…" Silver took her vibrating cell phone out of her pocket and looked at the caller ID. "Looks like I have to go."

A silver eyebrow arched. "Aren't you having lunch with us today?"

She shook her head and headed for the door. "Shuyin…"

"Oh right," Riku nodded his head, "off to go break a guy's heart?"

Silver glared at him while heading for the door. "That's not funny, Riku. You know how I feel about this whole situation."

"I'm joking. And don't worry too much about it," Riku advised as he waved goodbye. "It was only one night; there's no way he could've fallen that hard." Although deep in the pit of Riku's stomach, he knew that it only took one night for him to look at Silver in a totally different light. But he hid this fact behind a smile as she left the room.

With a grim smile of her own, she waved back and turned the corner and entered the hall where, sure enough, Shuyin was there by the classroom waiting.

"Hey Silver," Shuyin greeted cheerfully as he reached out to her. He grabbed her hand and pulled her into a tight embrace where his hands rested and locked around her waist. "Haven't seen you all day; are you ready to go?"

"Yeah," Silver's face grew warm from the closeness between her body and Shuyin's. Once again she remembered the intimacy of their moments together at the party and silently cursed herself for allowing such a thing to happen, even though at the time, it felt so right.

Shuyin smiled as he let her go but held her hand, lacing their fingers together as he did so. He led her down a deserted hallway that she had not seen before, but Silver paid special attention to the route in which he led her so that when lunch was over, she could find her way back on her own. "Don't you want to go to the cafeteria or something?" She asked shyly.

"No way. Besides, I already have something for us. We just have to go to a teacher's classroom to get it," he answered without looking at her.

'And he bought or made me lunch?' All Silver could do was think of how horrible she was and about to be when she realized that she had actually stopped walking with Shuyin staring back in concern.

"Are you okay?" He asked kindly as he gave her hand a squeeze.

She wiped a stray strand of hair from her bangs behind her ear and put on her best expressionless face. "Sorry, I just kind of spaced out. I do that sometimes."

Shuyin just laughed and pulled her forward. "No worries. I just thought something was bothering you."

'There is,' she thought grimly.

"What are you doing this Saturday?" He asked as he pulled her into a classroom she had not seen before.

She scratched behind her ear and shrugged her shoulders. "Nothing as of right now."

"Good," he walked past his teacher, who sat there grading papers, and into a closet, appearing five second later with a bag in one hand and two bottles of lemonade in another. "My family is having a barbeque on Saturday and I wanted you to meet my parents."

'So he's serious. This isn't just a fling.' Silver kept her face composed and replied, "But I already know your parents. I used to live here and hang out with Tidus."

Shuyin chuckled. "I know that. But they haven't seen you in years and besides, it'd be a lot easier to go out if they did the whole "Meet the New Girlfriend" thing."

Once Shuyin said "girlfriend", Silver's heart skipped several beats, making her sway back and forth on her feet. She held fast onto the desk next to her and turned away from her unofficial "boyfriend".

"What's wrong?" Shuyin's voice was soft and his eyes were genuine. He set everything down on the desk Silver was holding onto before placing his hands on her shoulders. "Are you sure you're okay? You don't look so good."

"I promise you I'm okay." She put her hands on top of his and looked into his clear azure eyes. "But I think we have to talk."

"And when can talk when we're eating," Shuyin said as Silver reached for the drinks.

'Too bad I might just wreck our appetites…' Silver thought as she followed him out.

* * *

Riku tossed his duffle bag onto his bed and collapsed into a revolving chair at his desk. 'Cid really pushed us today,' he thought tiredly, 'Coach really wants us to beat Hollow Bastion I guess.'

Carmen appeared in the doorway of her son's room a few seconds later with the house phone in her hand. "There's a phone call for you."

"Who is it?" he asked politely as she tossed him the phone.

"Your future wife," Carmen teased as she went on about her way with a smile on her face. Riku shook his head in confusion as he pressed the phone to his ear.

"Hello?"

"Hi Riku, it's Silver."

A small smile appeared on his face. "Hey, what's up?"

There was a sigh on the other end of the line. "I talked to Shuyin."

"You don't sound too happy about it," he stated plainly, although the smile was still present. "What happened?"

"…" Silence followed and Riku wondered if she had hung up or something.

"Are you still there?"

"Yeah, sorry about that."

"So, how did he take it?"

"I told him that we should stay friends for a while longer," she said finally with a defeated, broken tone of voice.

"And I'm gonna guess that he got upset or something? Right?"

Another long pause filled the space. "He wants to keep talking to me though…"

It was then that Riku's mood had been killed and he gripped the phone tighter in irritation. 'He doesn't know how to take a hint?' "So he still wants to date you? Were you blunt enough because if you weren't, he's still gonna think that he can claim you."

"He knows that he was rushing things, and I told him. Why are you pissed off though?"

"What are you talking about?" Riku took a moment to check himself and his voice was calm and steady. "I'm just fine."

"No you aren't," she argued tiredly. "I can hear it. It's not like you're the one dating him."

Riku grimaced at the visual he got in his head but turned this back on Silver. "But are _you _dating him? It's a simple question."

"I told him I wanted to be friends and that was established. He just said that he wanted to know me better so everything is just going to play out. So I guess you can count that as a 'no' Riku."

Relief flooded through Riku's body and he felt the tenseness from earlier fade away completely. "That's good to hear."

"You didn't want me to date him?" There was a sharpness to Silver's voice and the heaviness of the conversation appeared once again.

"Technically Silver, you're the one who told me that you didn't want to be with him. I kind of think he's a bit too much for you."

"Excuse me? What is that supposed to mean Riku?"

"He's a little bit too old for you don't you think? I mean, I'm not sure you could have handled someone like him."

Inaudible whispers came from Silver's end of the line but then came laughter laced with irritation. "You have _no idea_ what I can and can't handle Riku. Trust me, I've dealt with this kind of stuff with guys older than me before. Are you doubting me?"

Riku was completely taken back by Silver's tone and where this conversation was headed and rose to his feet. "It's not that…"

"You are doubting me," she argued.

"You're 15," he argued back, his voice rising in volume. "He's like 17 or 18."

"Then you just proved what I thought earlier. What do you think I am? Some kind of kid? I'm not 7 anymore Riku. Things have changed since we were playing on the island. It's not like—wait, why am I arguing with you? This is a waste of time."

Riku was struggling to find the right words to say. Just when he and Silver finally started talking to each other normally, he had to put his foot in his mouth and say all the wrong things. "I just get worried about you okay? That's all."

Another long, heavy sigh came from Silver's end. "Forget it," she said shortly. "I'll see you later. Bye."

Just as Riku was about to try to fix things, he could have sworn that the line went dead. He called Silver's name multiple times before staring at the phone, gripping it tighter and tighter until his knuckles turned white, and threw it in anger at his pillows propped up on his bed.

'What was I thinking?' He slammed his hand down on his desk. 'I can't believe I said that to her. It shouldn't have mattered so much if she went out with Shuyin or not. But they don't fit!' he went back on his earlier statement and pictured the pair together. 'They wouldn't work out. He'd break her heart for sure.'

Riku sat on the edge of his bed with his fists balled tightly. 'Why is this so difficult?'

He was so unaware of the world around him, that Riku did not notice Carmen standing in the doorway with a deeply concerned look on her face. She already knew what had happened. From Carmen's office down the hall, she could hear the elevation of frustration in her son's voice from his conversation with Silver. There had been an argument about a relationship and Riku didn't sound as if he took whatever happened well. Carmen knew that Riku had a jealous streak, she had known it since he was young. So she shook her head and walked over to him, placing a hand on his shoulder to comfort him. 'Looks like he's starting to figure out that things aren't so simple as when they were kids,' she thought sadly.


	13. Chapter 13: Someone Who Cares

**Author's Note: **Okay, this is a long chappie. But I wanted to do it for a while so I hope you guys like it! Thanks as always to **Kanika Meskhenet **and **TheKeeperofKingdomHearts1** for the reviews. To Kanika: Here's a little bit of Silver's past. I know I haven't really done enough with that but here you go :) To TheKeeper: thanks for faving and reviewing. You both get plushies! Anyway, hope you all enjoy the chapter and reviews are welcome :) Take care

-skye

* * *

A heaviness burdened Silver's heart and she went to school at least an hour before the first bell was scheduled to ring. She wanted to get to school earlier than usual to avoid passing Riku on the street when walking. Usually they met up with each other, seeing as they lived a block away and continued on their way together. But after the argument from last night, Silver wanted to avoid the awkwardness altogether and opted to head out alone.

She stabbed her pencil at the back of her journal and frowned. 'I can't believe I said that to him,' she thought grimly, watching the teacher to make sure that she wasn't making too much noise to draw attention to herself. 'He was only trying to protect me because he's my friend. That's the way it's always been. I royally screwed up big time.'

It was true that Riku had said some frustrating things, but the whole conversation ended on a sour note, one that Silver would have rather not of been. 'I can handle myself, but I got too defensive. Fabulous Silver; mouth off to the one person who was looking out for you. Great…'

Silver set her pencil down and looked out the cloudy window. She recalled a time when she was on the islands and she and her friends were at a playground. A boy whose name she couldn't remember was picking on her, following her around. Eventually, Silver yelled at him and he pushed her, making her scrape her leg against a wooden sandbox and hurt her ankle. Less than a minute later, Riku showed up, pushed him back and warned him to stay away from Silver. The boy took heed of Riku's warning and ran off never to be seen again. It was then that Riku picked Silver up and carried her on his back all the way to her mother who was at the park's recreation center about five minutes away from their location.

_Flashback_

"_I'm sorry," the nine year-old Riku said sadly._

_Silver peeked over his shoulder with a quizzical look on her face. "Why? You didn't do anything."_

"_I shoulda punched him out," Riku explained. "He didn't have to push you like that."_

"_Riku, you came and helped me. You don't have to say sorry."_

"_But still," he argued, "you're my best friend. I'm supposed to protect you."_

_Silver smiled and buried her head in his shoulder. "And I'll protect you too."_

_Riku looked over at Silver with intrigue on his young face while Silver continued. "I don't know how, but I will. I promise."_

_End of Flashback_

'I can't believe we were kids making those kinds of promises to each other,' Silver thought, smiling internally. 'He's still protecting me after all these years. And I'm not doing anything to make things easier.' She slumped in her desk and covered her eyes. 'Why can't things be as easy as they were when we were kids?'

* * *

Sora glanced around the table at lunchtime and only he and Riku were present as everyone else had other club activities to do. "It's so quiet today."

"Yup," Riku replied flatly, not really paying attention to Sora.

"It's kinda creepy actually. The girls are at dance club and Wakka and Tidus had to make up a test," Sora eyed Riku cautiously. All day, Riku had been quiet and distant as if his head was in the clouds and that was very much unlike him.

"Yup," Riku said once more.

"Okay, what's wrong?" Sora asked, sounding deeply concerned for his best friend. "You've been out of it all day. What happened?"

Riku let out a sigh. As usual, Sora picked up on every single one of his mood changes, no matter how miniscule they were. So he sat back and turned to his spiky-haired friend. "I got into an argument with Silver last night."

"Is that why she's not here?" Sora looked around and sure enough, there was no sign of the dark-haired upperclassman.

Riku shrugged his shoulders. "I don't know."

"What happened?"

"I told her I didn't think that she could handle being with Shuyin," Riku replied slowly and softly.

Sora stared at him incredulously. "Why would you do that? Shuyin is pretty cool. And I don't think he would've done anything to hurt her intentionally."

"I just thought that maybe he was a little too old for her. He's graduating this year," Riku reasoned.

"So you were just protecting her…" Although Sora said this, it came out as a question. He watched Riku's facial expressions carefully to see if he could catch anything.

"What else? She's the one who told me about Shuyin. She wanted my opinion, and so I gave it to her."

"And what did she say exactly?"

"Well, the weekend of the party, she told me that she didn't want a relationship and I said to end it if you didn't want one. Then last night she told me that she said she wanted to be friends but that Shuyin wanted to get to know her more. She said he wanted to keep talking and she didn't say much after that."

Sora drummed his fingers against the table and looked into the ceiling thoughtfully. "Then it really isn't Silver who is keeping this going. It's Shuyin. He said that he wanted to keep talking to her on that kind of level so he's the one who still wants to pursue her. As far as I know, it'll just be him chasing her. If she said she didn't want to be with him, then there's not much to worry about."

Sora's explanation left Riku nearly speechless. Every so often, Sora came up with the most brilliant yet simple explanation for things that left people wondering if the brunette is constantly thinking of ways to solve problems when he's daydreaming on the beach. 'And yet he still has no idea about his feelings towards Kairi,' Riku thought while rolling his eyes. 'Figures…'

"Were you attacking her when you were saying how you thought he was too old for her?" Sora asked after he let the information digest in Riku's head.

"I just said that she couldn't handle him. That's all."

Sora winced at this. "I'm gonna guess that you didn't say sorry afterwards…"

"She basically hung up on me. I was about to, but it was too late."

"Riku, you should go say sorry, even though you may still think you're right," Sora advised.

"But you have to admit, Silver and Shuyin wouldn't work out. It'd be too awkward," Riku argued.

"You don't know that. I mean, I can kinda see it; Shuyin and Silver going on dates, walking along the beach, making out—"

Riku rolled his eyes again and cut off Sora before he got a visual. "You can stop now, I get it."

"Just suck it up, say sorry and fix it. She started hanging out with us again. You don't want her to disappear on us again, do you?"

"No," he answered much too quickly. 'I just don't know how…'

* * *

Silver was on her way home and the sun had almost completely set. "I should really stop leaving so late," she said quietly to herself. 'At least I finished all my work and left it all in the locker.' So now Silver didn't have to worry about carrying any books or materials in hand. The only thing she carried was her blazer, which she promptly put on when the island wind kicked up.

'I forgot how windy the island got,' Silver buttoned the bottom two buttons and patted her cell phone tucked away neatly in her pocket. 'Maybe I should call my mom so I can get picked up. Oh but no she's supposed to be with a client later on tonight and my dad is on a conference call.' She shrugged her shoulders and walked on past the shops. 'Guess I just better keep walking.'

After a few minutes of walking, it had become very clear to Silver that someone was behind her. She came to a stoplight and glanced out of the corner of her eye. There were two men, one had shaggy brown hair reaching his shoulders and the other, to Silver's displeasure was the same blond-haired man she ran into weeks ago.

'Isn't he supposed to be locked up?' Silver reached into her blazer pocket and slipped on her fingerless silver gloves. 'Crap, I gotta get out of here.' The men continued to approach her and Silver did her best to keep her cool, but all the while she was cursing the stoplight for not changing green quick enough.

'Hurry up!' she screamed mentally. Silver finally looked over her shoulder and the blond and his companion grinned at her with menacing expressions.

"Nice seeing you again," the blond sneered.

The light finally turned green and Silver burst into a full-on sprint down the street wishing with all her heart that someone would see or hear her.

"We're gonna catch you!" the blond called out.

'Crap they're getting closer!' Silver was disappointed to see that the streets were deserted at this time with no one to see or help her. So she scoured the area for any type of escape, anything to help her get to a shop or something to where she could call the police. Silver rounded a corner and saw several gates leading out to the main street. 'Once I get over these, I'm in the clear,' she thought determinedly. She pulled her gloves on tighter, looked at the six foot tall iron gate before her, stepped on a conveniently placed iron crate next to it and leapt over the gate.

She stuck her landing perfectly and saw that both men were now trailing far behind. 'Thank you, blitzball training.' Another gate stood in her way but this time there was nothing to help her up. So Silver jumped up gracefully, latched onto the gate and flipped over easily.

When her feet touched the ground she darted for the last gate. 'One more to go…' But her energy was dying down. Not from the hopping over fences, not from running for her life, but from the fatigue and lack of sleep from the night before. Her heart pounded in her chest harder than before and she prayed that after this last obstacle, she could get to safety.

Silver grabbed onto the gate, climbed up and looked over her shoulder quickly to see that the men were catching up quite quickly. So she pushed herself off, still halfway looking back and landed on feet. Unfortunately though for Silver, she landed wrong on her right ankle and pain shot up through her leg, making her lose her balance and fall to the floor.

She yelped out in pain and glanced at her ankle. It was bleeding slightly and there was a long cut on her leg. It remained invisible because of the high socks she was wearing, but the blood seeping through and staining the white made it very clear that she had hurt herself. Silver tried to stand and walk on her right leg, but she fell against the brick wall on her left. 'I can't believe this,' she thought, breathing heavily from the fear and pain.

"Aww, looks like she hurt herself," the shaggy brunette cooed.

The blond simply smirked and cracked his knuckles loudly. He reached over, grabbed Silver by her shirt collar and pulled her close to him. "What a shame." His eyes scanned over her body. "You look better in a skirt, I tell ya that much."

The brunette circled Silver and licked his lips. "She's got a nice body too. Isn't this the girl from last time?"

"The same one," the blond replied. "I can't forget those eyes."

His friend stood in front of Silver and cradled her face in his hands. His hand slid painfully slowly down her face, to her neck and stopped over her heart. "Aww, she's scared…"

"Get your hands off me," Silver spat poisonously.

The brunette simply laughed. Instead of responding, his hand slid dangerously lower until he reached her breast. Before he could get any farther, Silver clawed his face once with her sharp onyx nails, making him screech out in pain. Then why the blond was distracted, Silver used her good leg and sent her knee into his crotch, making him fall to the floor.

Silver fell to the floor as well and assessed the damaged caused. The brown-haired pervert who groped her had blood running down his face from his forehead, over his left eye and down to his cheek. She checked her nails and saw that she had tore a good portion of skin off his face. The blond though was recovering quite quickly and it was quite obvious that he learned to use protection since the last time he and Silver got into an argument.

He stood over Silver and kicked her roughly in the side, making her cry out in pain. She rolled on her stomach and tried to recover when another blow was made to the same side he had struck earlier. "You see, I'm not gonna hold back like I did last time. You pissed me off so bad the last time, that after I'm done with you, you might not even be alive to squeal to the cops."

'I'm done,' was all Silver could think of. She didn't have the energy to keep fighting, especially with her useless leg. It was becoming increasingly harder to breathe and with the second man regaining his senses, she knew that there was no way she'd get out of this. She attempted to scream, but the swift kick to her stomach stopped that altogether. Her green eyes were empty and dead as if she were defeated. As both men approached her, Silver could not think of anything besides her loneliness and helplessness, hoping that maybe it would end quickly. She pressed her hand to the crescent moon necklace and felt tears building up behind her eyes, wondering how long it would be until she woke up on the other side.

The sound of glass breaking momentarily broke Silver out of her daze but she did not move. The brunette fell to the ground and was knocked unconscious. The blond whipped around and several punches were thrown as well as the footsteps of three or four people rapidly approaching. Who it was throwing the punches Silver did not know. What she did know, was that the blond had been grunting and eventually, he too slumped to the floor in defeat.

The third person in all this ran towards Silver and to her utmost shock, her dead green eyes met a familiar set of aquamarine ones and her heart stopped for a split second.

"Silver, are you okay?" Riku's panicked voice woke her up slightly from her half-conscious state but still she remained silent and unmoving. He kneeled down and wrapped his arms around her torso, pulling her body closer to his. He looked her up and down, staring at her right leg which was bleeding profusely at this point.

Several men appeared in the back alley and one of them happened to be a police officer. "Are these the guys?" the police officer asked Riku.

"Yeah," he replied, his breathing a bit heavy. "They're out cold."

'I can't believe this,' Silver thought, feeling as if this wasn't real and she were already dead. 'Riku's here…'

"We'll take care of it from here," the police officer said. "Get her home."

Riku nodded his head in understanding and turned his attention back to Silver. "Let's get out of here." He picked her up carefully and carried her on his back, watching out for her right leg. She wrapped her arms around his neck and leaned into his shoulder, hiding her face from view, all the while still wondering if she was long gone.

Once Riku and Silver were in a residential area, only a slither of the sun remained in the sky. "Why didn't you call for someone to come pick you up?" Riku asked softly. "You don't need to be walking the streets at night like this."

"I didn't want to be a burden," she answered weakly.

"Silver, if you would have told me you were walking home this late, I would have come to get you. What made you decide to do this?"

"…weren't you mad at me?"

Riku nearly froze on the spot but kept going, feeling guilt deep within the pit of his stomach. But Silver continued, "it's not the first time I ran into that blond." He waited patiently for her to finish the story. "A while ago, when I first moved back, him and some guy were harassing this girl on the street. That's how I messed up my arm."

Anger welled up within Riku but he wanted to be calm for Silver. "So that's how."

"I took him and his friend down, but the brunette is someone I don't know. The black-haired guy must have stayed locked up or something."

"You took down two guys?" Riku asked incredulously. Then his mind went back to the day he and Silver were wrestling. Her strength startled him and it didn't seem so far-fetched that she could take down a guy.

"Yeah, but I guess I just got lucky that day."

Riku laughed to take off the heavy air. "I knew you were tough. But even so, you should've called someone to pick you up."

After several painfully long seconds, Silver replied. "I don't know. I'm used to being alone." Her words were heartbreaking, so heavy and filled with sadness. Even though the tone didn't give it all away, Riku could detect all the layers hidden within the last statement. "I learned a long time ago, that I can't always depend on others, so I tried to do things on my own. It's a little less disappointing than getting your hopes up in other people. So doing thing on my own was just…easier."

Even from all the little conversations between Riku and Silver, he now understood that they were hollow and didn't mean much. Here Riku thought that he was making progress, but _this _conversation opened up his eyes about her and what she was going through. It was quite clear that Silver was distant, not out of pride or anything like that, but because she had been hurt. The reasons why remained unknown and Riku figured that after this event, he'd best leave those questions for another day.

"I'm sorry," Riku apologized.

Silver looked up. "For what? You didn't do this to me."

"For Shuyin and this," he explained. "I want you to be happy, that's all. But with _this, _I probably should have killed both of them," Darkness coursed though his words and Silver was quite shocked to hear this come from her childhood friend. "I know what they were about to do to you."

"No," Silver said firmly. "You're too good of a person for that. You would have ruined your life."

"So?" His voice rose in volume. "They would've ended yours."

Silver began to feel fatigue and she found it difficult to stay awake. "Yours means more to me than mine does."

Riku froze on the spot in awe. "You don't mean that…"

"But it is nice," Silver said drowsily as Riku began walking again. "Things are different from last time."

"Silver," Riku said sternly. "I'm always gonna be there to protect you if you need me. I promised."

"I don't want to need you for something that could get you hurt. I really don't," she admitted. "And I remember our promise." Her eyelids were drooping and she locked her arms tighter around his neck. "It's really nice," she felt sleep claiming her, "to have someone who cares…"


	14. Chapter 14: Shaken

**Author's Note: **Hello hello hello! Thanks for all the support you guys. You really make writing an absolute pleasure. I wanna thank all those who added this story to their favorites and me to their favorites. I wanna thank my faithful reviewers **Kanika Meskhenet **and **TheKeeperofKingdomHearts1**. Much love to everyone and enjoy this chapter. It's a little darker but i think it's necesscary. Anywho, onto the chapter!

-skye

* * *

Sora and Kairi were with Silver who lay in bed resting the following afternoon. Shortly after Riku had taken her home and her parents assessed the damage, they rushed to the hospital. Silver had managed to badly sprain her ankle and had a few bruised ribs where she had been kicked. She was ordered by the doctor to stay off her foot for a while and to stay home from school so that her wounds could heal properly. She even had to have the leg that had been cut stitched up so at this point there was no way she could go anywhere. Not that she was feeling up to it anyway though.

"Did the police catch those guys?" Kairi asked sweetly as she sat on the edge of Silver's bed. "Are they locked up?"

Silver nodded her head slowly and glanced at the clock on her nightstand. It was almost 8 o'clock at night and both younger teens had been there since 5 in the afternoon. Silver had to admit that she was touched by their presence and even found the pain to subside a little. "Yeah, it was all taken care of," she replied while propping herself against the headboard while being ever so careful as to not twist her bandaged foot.

"Everyone is asking about you," Sora stated as he sat on the bench at the end of her bed.

"You can tell them that I'm alright," Silver told him. "I'll be back on my feet in no time."

Sora stared around the room incredulously, looking at all the trinkets and such on her desks and walls. "I think you've got the coolest room out of all of us. We could have a party in here."

"Well," Silver set her hand in her lap and smiled slightly at Sora, "you can come back whenever you want."

His eyes lit up in a childlike excitement. "Really?! We can actually hang out here?!"

"Yes really," Silver nodded her head, feeling a certain warmth emanating from Sora. There was always something special about Sora, a light that radiated off him. Sora was quite possibly the light-hearted and optimistic boy she had ever known. He just had a certain aura around him that seemed to melt away any tension or discomfort in the room. Even Sora's calm blue eyes had a power of their own. "You are my friends; of course you can hang out here."

Sora stood up and dashed over to Silver, wrapping his arms around her. "Thanks a lot Silver. It's good to have you back!"

"No problem Sora." She released the brunette who immediately ran over to the closet. Kairi scooted closer to her and waited for Sora to disappear through the door before speaking.

"Riku was so mad today," Kairi told her in a low voice.

"For what?"

Kairi sighed, blowing several strands of maroon hair out of her dark blue eyes. "He still blames himself for what happened. He believes that he should have gotten to you sooner."

Silver blinked in confusion before saying, "I told him already that it wasn't his fault. Did he say anything?"

"Your closet is HUGE!!!" Sora exclaimed as he disappeared inside.

Kairi giggled while Silver rolled her eyes. "It's a walk-in closet Sora. They're kind of big naturally."

"You've got so many clothes in here! It's like a store or something!"

"But back to what I was saying," Kairi continued, "you know how Riku is. He always wants to be the protector of us. It's like he believes it's his job. I can't blame him though. It's nice to have someone always looking out for you. All he did today was sulk."

Silver cocked an eyebrow. "Riku sulks?"

"Only when he doesn't get his way or when things don't work out like he planned, which is rare."

"I see…"

"Silver, you should talk to him again. You know, ease his thoughts a little or something."

"OUCH!!!" Sora yelled in pain. Several things tumbled from inside the closet and crashed into the ground. Silver leaned over and called out, "Are you alright?"

After several seconds, Kairi rushed over to his side and disappeared. "Don't worry, I got it."

"I knocked over a few boxes." Sora's voice was strained and Silver shook her head, remembering how clumsy the boy was.

"It's fine. Just don't kill yourself in there," Silver said as she fell back against the bed, wishing that she weren't immobile.

Kairi walked into the well-lit closet and her eyes popped open. Sora wasn't exaggerating when he said that her closet was large. It was almost the size of a bedroom with clothes on racks in a circle with dozens of shoes in boxes on the floor. Up above on a shelf were several cardboard boxes stacked neatly next to each other. Sora lay at the back holding his head in his hands with four boxes around him.

"Let's hope you didn't give yourself a concussion," Kairi said as she tenderly rubbed Sora's head.

The brunette blushed from Kairi's touch and tried to hide it by shielding his face. "I'm okay Kai. I just need to put everything up."

"Then let's get out of here," Kairi lifted up a medium sized box and set it back on top.

Sora brushed himself up and grabbed the second largest box. "Man, Silver has a lot of stuff."

"I know," Kairi agreed, staring at the clothes. "I wonder why she doesn't wear this stuff." She reached for a royal purple article of clothing and pulled it out, knowing now that it was a beautiful off the shoulder, long-sleeved mini dress. "It's so nice and fashionable."

"I still can't see her in a dress," Sora stated as he pushed the box back so it hit the wall. "She's still a tomboy I guess."

"A pretty one," Kairi corrected. "I wanna see her dress up and take down her hair. It's always tied up in a ponytail."

Just as Sora reached for the last and largest box, it spilled over, emptying its contents on the carpet. "You're not having a good day," Kairi commented as she bent down on her knees.

A certain item caught Sora's eye and he reached for a large purple hoodie. His eyes widened in shock as he held it out, catching Kairi's attention.

"What's wrong?" She asked softly.

"This is a blitzball hoodie from Hollow Bastion," Sora explained. "She must be a _really _good player to have made this team…"

"Didn't she used to play with Tidus and Wakka when we were kids?"

Sora nodded his head and stared at the number 1 on the back in a black roman numeral outlined in gold. "Yeah, but we were just kids. Hollow Bastion is tough. I didn't think girls made the team."

"Hey!" Kairi cried indignantly. "Girls can play too!"

"Not like that," Sora said hurriedly. "It's just that those guys are pretty tough and there are a lot of injuries from what I hear." A photo gleamed in the light and Sora reached for it, only to be smacked in the hand by Kairi.

"Don't go through her stuff," she whispered.

"It's just a picture Kairi," Sora pulled the photo out from the bottom of the pile and scanned it over. His jaw dropped as did the hoodie he was holding. "Kairi, look at _this_."

"Sora, you really shouldn't…" Kairi looked at the photo and she too had a look of shock painted over her face. In the picture was Sora on a grass field in front of a blitzball dome with a championship trophy about her size. She leaned against it with a closed mouth smile staring into the camera. In this picture, Silver actually looked happy. Her pale green eyes were bright with excitement and it seemed as if she was radiating from the inside out. But that wasn't what caught Sora and Kairi off guard. What shocked them was that she was wearing the uniform (modified for a girl by giving her shorter shorts and no sleeves on the jersey) and at the bottom of the picture in gold letters were the words: Silver Valentine: CAPTAIN.

"Oh my god," Sora breathed. "She was the _captain_?"

"Whoa," was all Kairi could say.

"That means that Silver isn't just some random player," Sora also noticed the gold medals and trophies on the ground next to the box, "she must be some kind of protégé."

"Are you serious?"

Sora nodded his head. "Only the best get to be on the team. She made captain. That team can compete with the professionals and usually after high school, many of the players get drafted to the pros or get full-ride college scholarships. I heard something a while back, about Hollow Bastion Prep not really wanting girls on the team. Usually the team is made up of a bunch of seniors who look like they could body-slam you if you looked at them wrong. Silver must be _tough._"

"I wonder why she stopped playing," Kairi thought out loud. "I know that Coach Cid would automatically let her on the team and be co-captain. With someone like her, I know he'd jump at the chance."

"I'm sure on Hollow Bastion she's celebrity status. This is crazy."

"What are you guys doing in there?" Silver leaned against the doorway for support with a grin of amusement on her face. "You didn't break anything, did y—" Her eyes instantly for the box of her old blitzball stuff and they turned icy, making the color drain from Sora and Kairi's face. "What are you doing?" She asked, obviously trying to control her growing irritation.

"It all fell out," Sora said quickly. "I was trying to put the box back up when it fell. I swear!"

"It's the truth Silver," Kairi stepped in front of Sora. "We were just putting it all back up."

Silver's jaw was tight and found it increasingly harder to control herself. "That doesn't mean you need to be looking at my photos. That's not putting them up."

"It just caught our eye, that's all. We had every intention of putting everything away." Sora was startled by the anger present in Silver's eyes and almost felt threatened.

"Just put that crap up and get it out of my sight," Silver whispered harshly as she limped out of the closet.

Both Sora and Kairi stood there with fearful expressions on their now pale faces. The phrase "If looks could kill" only barely skimmed the surface of the heat behind Silver's glare and neither Sora nor Kairi wanted to be on the receiving end of it again.

So they quickly put the blitzball stuff away and slid the box into place on a shelf. The two underclassmen inched out of the closet, unsure of what to expect when they got out. However, when Sora and Kairi were out into the bedroom, they heard the closet door slide violently behind them, jumping as the sound was made, with Silver leaning against the wall, her gaze slightly less terrifying but still far from friendly.

"I should of tossed that pile of crap out a long time ago," Silver thought out loud darkly.

"But Silver," Sora began timidly. "I think it's great. You're amazing."

"Amazing?" she scoffed. "It's just another box full of stuff that I don't need. There's not much to it."

"But you were the captain of the best blitzball team on the Islands…" Kairi took a step forward and hoped her soft smile would melt away Silver's icy exterior. "It means you're special."

Silver didn't respond but closed her eyes and mouthed something to herself. Sora guessed that she was counting to calm herself down and he was right. When she opened her eyes, they were no longer threatening but devoid of emotion all together.

"Why don't you play anymore? It must have been fun," Sora was glad that she didn't look like she craved blood anymore. From what he found out, Sora knew that if Silver really wanted to, she could take him down with no problem.

At that moment, something flashed in Silver's eyes and they grew wide with a range of different emotions. It seemed as though she was out of touch with reality for a second and was remembering something. But in an instant, Silver broke out of that state and shook her head. "No," she said simply and sternly. "I just want to get through this year without any distractions. Hollow Bastion Prep and blitzball are the furthest things from my mind at this point."

'Hollow Bastion Prep,' Kairi did not like the tone in which Silver spoke of the school. It was almost as if it pained her to say it out loud. And deep within the pit of her stomach, Kairi knew for sure that it wasn't just blitzball that left a sour taste in Silver's mouth, but possibly something with the school as well. 'What happened back there?'

"I'm sorry I snapped at you guys," Silver apologized sadly. "I think this pain medication makes me a little crazy. I've been barking at people and flipping out all day. I didn't mean it."

Sora sighed in relief. "Hey, no worries Silver." He held out his hand and led her to her bed where she sat down on the side. "You went through a lot. Don't worry about it."

Kairi pulled out a cellular and read the message. "Sora, my mom is here to pick us up."

"Oh, okay," Sora flashed Silver a trademark goofy smile. "Just feel better and tell your mom I said thanks for dinner. It was really good."

"I didn't know she could make Italian like that," Kairi chimed in with a warm smile on her face. She walked over to Silver who had her arms at her sides and hugged her tightly, slightly alarmed at how cold her friend's body had become but not showing any signs of it. "We'll come visit soon."

After Kairi, Sora too embraced his friend. "I'm sorry Silver."

"Don't apologize so much. You sound like Riku," She said tiredly.

The pair headed out and waved goodbye, closing the door as they left. Once she was in silence, Silver's body began to shake and waves of chills hit her body. Her eyes were wide with panic and she reached into her nightstand drawer, frantically searching for something at the back. When Silver pulled her hand out, she had two pill bottles and tossed them on her bed. Her breathing became heavy and it took her quite a while to unscrew the caps. 'C'mon, c'mon,' Silver's panic only decreased when the caps came off. She pulled out two pills, one blue the other red and popped them into her mouth.

After she threw the bottles back in her drawer, Silver sat in the middle of the bed and stared out the window, trying to bring down her heart rate. She tried to stay calm to keep from hyperventilating and ducked under the covers quickly, despite the pain shooting up her leg from moving so quickly.

She shut her eyes and begged for sleep, curling into herself as she did so. Silver pressed her hands to her heart and chanted "just let it go, let it go, let it go" over and over again until she was no longer conscious, thankful that she had slipped out from reality and ecstatic to dive into the darkness of her dreams.


	15. Chapter 15: Foreboding

**Author's Note: **I hope you guys enjoyed the chapter. I want to thank **Kanika Meskhenet **for her review (I'm glad you like my stories and I'll update the other one sooner!) and to all those who continue to read and enjoy it. Reviews are welcome and thanks again you guys :)

-skye

* * *

Silver sat on the stairs as the day slowly ticked away, turning into night. She held her trademark necklace in the palm of her hand, flipping it over constantly and intently as if something were to happen if she were to continue the action. No one was home but her father, but Silver seldom talked to him on her own. So in her mind, she was home alone.

'I hate being immobile,' she thought tiredly as she stared at her bandaged ankle. 'I can't do anything and I feel so weak.'

A harsh vibration interrupted Silver's thoughts and she looked on the step to see her cell phone going off. She mindlessly picked it up and answered without looking at the caller ID.

"Hello?" she greeted dispassionately.

"You sound like you're about to die," the person on the other end of the line teased.

Silver blew several wisps of ebony hair out of her face and leaned against the wall. "Riku, aren't you supposed to be in blitzball practice right now?"

"We're on a break," he said, "I just wanted to check on you."

She was obviously touched by this and her expression softened. "Thank you."

"Don't say thank you; I'm supposed to see if you're okay. It comes with the job," a smile could be heard in Riku's voice and it spread to Silver, causing her to crack a small one herself.

"Ah yes," Silver shifted so that she was more comfortable on the stairs. "I keep forgetting who I'm talking to here."

"You need to get it in your head. I'm supposed to be the protector in this relationship, and you are supposed to take it with a smile."

"We have a strange friendship; it feels like you're my bodyguard instead of friend," she cleared her throat and stuffed the necklace into her pocket. "So where is everyone?"

"Sora and the rest of the group are getting some snacks. The upperclassmen are running over some plays with Coach Cid. Me, I'm just hanging out on the bleachers."

Silver looked up at the twilight sky through a window. "And you're watching the sun, am I right?"

There was a slight pause on Riku's end. "How did you know that?" he asked curiously.

"I don't know, I just figured that's what you'd be doing. Besides, you always had your head in the clouds," Silver replied.

"Hmmm, you always did seem to know me the best," Riku concluded. "I'm guessing you're still at home…"

"Are you kidding me? I haven't even been down the stairs. Mom won't let me out of the room because she's scared I'll fall down the steps and crack my head open. I've been in bed, on my computer, watching dramas for the past week since I've been out of school."

"You watch dramas?" there was a bit of laughter in Riku's voice and Silver became defensive.

"It's mindless, plus the one I'm watching is pretty good!" she half-yelled indignantly.

"Yeah sure," Riku chuckled on the other end, making Silver roll her eyes in irritation. "By the way, do you think you'll be well enough by Halloween?"

"That's a few days away and I know I'll be able to walk. Why?"

"Me, Sora and Kairi were thinking of going down to this place called Horror's Delight. It's basically a city that's haunted and is open from 5 til 10. We can't stay until midnight because we're minors. It's supposed to be scary and there are ghosts walking around with spirits and stuff. Do you think you can go?"

Silver scratched her head before staring at her injured foot. "If I can walk, then yeah I'll go. My parents will feel a bit better if you're there with me."

"Did you think I'd let you go out by yourself?" Riku's tone was more serious than what Silver would have expected. "There's no way I'm letting you walk around on your own like that so you'd best understand that now."

"Riku," Silver began slowly, "don't you think I can handle myself?"

"Silver, I'm not discussing this with you." His voice was firm and steady. "Just let me do my job here."

Silver sighed but consented. "Okay Riku. I don't even wanna argue with you. I'll let you have your way."

"Good," Riku's tone was light with satisfaction at having gotten what he wanted. "That's the way it's supposed to be. By the way, I'm dropping off your homework in a few hours so you can expect me."

"Thanks a lot." The house door swung open and Valencia entered, carrying her stilettos in her hands. She waved to Silver who found it best to wrap up her conversation. "Riku, my mom just got in. I'll talk to you later."

"Alright, take care Silver. Don't do anything stupid," he joked.

"Get off the phone," and with that Silver hung up, ready to greet her mother.

"Who was that?" Valencia asked curiously as she approached the stairs.

"Riku; he said that he was gonna drop off some homework for me later on," she explained.

At that moment, Silver's father appeared at the top of the steps. He was tall and well built with sun-kissed island skin and short cut dark brown hair and a mustache. "Hey, how was work today?"

Valencia tossed her shoes off to the side while Silver stood up. "It was good, Ray. It got a little crazy because the bride had to bring in all of her bridesmaids and confused her on what to wear." Valencia shook her head and tossed her purse off to the side. "I swear, I should ban everyone but the mother-of-the bride from coming."

When she saw Silver hopping down the stairs, Valencia's eyes widened. "What are you doing trying to come down without help?"

Silver braced herself against the stairs. "I got this far on my own."

Ray tried to catch up to his daughter and held out his hand. "Let me help you down," he offered kindly.

Silver's expression became unreadable and she hobbled down the steps faster. "No," she replied bluntly. "I can do it myself. I got halfway already. I have it." And with that Silver left her father behind and passed her mother who seemed saddened at the sight. She turned to her husband and ran up the stairs to comfort him.

"Don't think too much about it, Ray," Valencia wrapped her arms around him and kissed the tip of his chin. They watched Silver disappear into the living room before they turned their attention back to each other.

"How can I not?" Ray asked sadly.

"She's going through so much right now," Valencia pulled him closer. "We just have to let her get herself together honey."

"She doesn't even want me to be around her," Ray continued, stroking his wife's hair behind her ears. "It's pretty hard to miss."

Valencia looked up at her husband with her green eyes shining. "She's getting better."

Ray stared at the spot where Silver had once been and shut his eyes. "She resents me for all that's happened. I don't blame her either."

Valencia smacked his chest hard. "Don't say that!"

"It's true Valencia," Ray told her. He sighed heavily and planted a kiss on Valencia's forehead. "I just want her to forgive me. That's all."

* * *

Riku was walking on his way after blitzball practice to Silver's house, holding a folder full of papers in his hands. 'At least her teachers are giving her slack. She'd be doing make-up work until she graduated.'

When Riku came to her block, he saw a sleek black Mercedes parked outside Silver's house. He curiously watched a girl step out of the car, speaking to whoever the driver was and holding a bag in her hands.

"I'll be quick, I promise," she told the person in the car. She had short/medium length hair and pale skin with soft brown eyes. Riku could also tell from the clothes she was wearing (simple as they may be) and the car that this girl, whoever she was, came from money.

She stared at Silver's house nervously and ran her hands through her short hair as if she were contemplating on whether or not she should go in or not. Riku noticed this and approached her cautiously.

"Are you looking for someone?" Riku asked politely.

The girl was slightly startled and blushed once she saw Riku. She bowed stiffly before stating the nature of the visit. "I came to drop something off for someone. Do you know that feeling when you think you're at the right place, and yet you don't? It's one of those things…" she laughed nervously.

"Yeah, I get you," Riku then stared at the bright blue gift bag in the girl's hands. "I'm guessing that you're giving that to Silver?"

The girl's eyes widened. She brushed off her gray pea coat and smiled. "You know Silver?"

"She's my friend. You've got the right house," Riku placed a hand in the pocket of his basketball shorts. "Are you a friend?"

The girl cleared her throat. "My name is Reina. I ran into Silver a while ago and she helped me out. I just wanted to give her this." She held out the bag.

"Nice to meet you Reina," Riku said with a charming smile. "I'm Riku. I don't think she's awake. I just called a few minutes ago and her mom said that she was asleep."

Reina sighed and dropped her head. "I see…"

"If you want, I can give it to her," Riku offered. "I'm a friend of the family."

"Really? You'd do that?" Reina adjusted her glasses.

"Sure, why not?"

Reina handed Riku the bag and smiled a cheery smile. "Thank you so much. I left my information in the bag if Silver wants it." She looked back at the car and slowly backed away. "I have to go now, thanks again."

"No problem."

Reina stared back at the house once more before entering the Mercedes, driving off as soon as the door was closed. When Reina had vanished, a strange chill washed over Riku making the hair on the back of his neck stand up. 'There's something about that girl…'

Silver woke up to a tray of Chinese food on her desk. She sat up slowly and looked at the clock. 'It's already past 8….' She grabbed the tray and smiled. "Chow Mein, fire shrimp and broccoli; Mmmm, so good."

It was then that Silver noticed the little gift bag on the side of where her tray once was. She curiously eyed the bag before taking the card peeking out from the purple tissue paper. Silver tore the envelope open and read the contents of the letter, her eyes widening as she scrolled down the bottom.

_Dear Silver,_

_I hope you remember me. Well, I guess it's kind of hard to forget some dummy who got trapped by some idiot thugs. I don't think I had a chance to thank you properly. It was really hard to track you down, No I'm not stalking you; I just wanted to repay you for what you did for me. As it turns out, I know a friend from Hollow Bastion who knew you and I was able to get a lead. Plus you had a textbook from Destiny Islands Prep on the floor so I followed your trail. I hope you like the gift and I hope to be able to talk to you. I'm leaving my number should you want to talk. Take care._

_Reina_

Upon seeing the words Hollow Bastion, Silver tensed up and pushed back her tray of food, suddenly losing her appetite. It was a kind gesture and Silver would be sure to give Reina a call back. Silver spotted a fortune cookie on the tray and felt a chill run down her spine in a foreboding fashion. Her hand shook violently as she discarded the wrapper and cracked the cookie in half, letting the fortune hit her bed. Silver unraveled the fortune and her eyes widened in shock and panic, dropping it and flopping against her bed, holding her head in her hands. "This can't be happening to me…"

The fortune read: _Running away will only complicate things. The past is catching up with you._


	16. Chapter 16: Take Me Away

Author's Note:

Okay, now that I'm out of school, I should be able to update more often than this. I feel so sad that it's taken this long :( I hope you guys forgive me. I'd like to thank my reviewers and readers for always keeping up with me. And I'd like to thank those who faved this story and me as an author. There's a lot of RikuxSilver in this chapter and I hope you enjoy!

-Skye

* * *

Silver sat on the sofa Halloween night with her mom tending to her as she was still recuperating. The dark-haired girl watched Valencia place a bowl of popcorn before her and the older woman offered a kind smile.

"I'm sorry Silver," Valencia began. "But I can't risk you getting hurt tonight."

"Mom, I can walk just fine now," Silver flipped through the channels on the television mindlessly while popping chocolates in her mouth. "Besides I'm not going to be alone. Riku, Sora and Kairi would have been with me."

Valencia smiled at this. "You and Riku seem to be getting closer."

The tone in her mother's voice was slightly unnerving. "Mom, what's that supposed to mean?"

"Nothing honey," Valencia placed her hands on her hips, "I'm just happy for you, that's all. Riku has been such a good friend to you. He saved your life."

The incident was still fresh in Silver's mind. As she went through the memory, she went back to how she thought she was going to die. It was obvious that those men weren't going to let her walk away after all the trouble she had "put" them through. But when she heard Riku's voice and looked into his comforting, angelic eyes, she knew deep within her heart that she would have been alright. And she was.

"You know it's quite strange," Valencia continued on, disappearing into the kitchen. "I've never seen a boy care so much for a girl and only want friendship…"

"…" Silver chose not to dignify that with a response.

"I wonder if that's all he really wants," Valencia reappeared with a bottle of water in her hand, "I think there's something else going on there."

"Mom!" Silver half-yelled, "He's my friend and nothing more!"

Valencia disregarded the comment and set the bottle in Silver's outstretched hand. "Oh come on, you can't tell me you don't notice how he looks at you." The doorbell rang and Valencia left a fuming Silver to sit there and let the idea marinate.

'I can't believe she'd come up with an idea _that _crazy,' Silver mused to herself. 'Why can't people understand that a guy and a girl can just be friends?'

When the door creaked open, no one said anything. Silver listened patiently but still there wasn't a sound to be heard. And then her vision was obscured when someone placed their hands over Silver's eyes. She jumped slightly when this happened but calmed down once she got a grip on the person's hands.

"You aren't my dad, not Kairi because your hands are too big," the person chuckled at the comment but the voice was so low that Silver couldn't make out who it was based off that alone. "You aren't Sora because his gloves are fingerless," She ran her thumb over the person's hands and smirked. "Riku if you weren't always wearing the same gloves whenever I saw you this would be a little harder."

Riku rolled his eyes and stepped back, watching as Silver turned around to face him. "Technically speaking, you didn't see me."

"But whenever I do, you have on those," She pointed to his hands before turning back to the television. "Why aren't you with Sora and Kairi?"

Riku made his way to Silver and took a seat next to her on the couch. "They've got enough company. I'm not gonna leave you home alone." He took off his jacket and set it on the couch's arm. As usual when he wasn't in school, Riku wore a dark t-shirt and equally dark jeans with almost obscenely clean white sneakers. Even in the island heat, Riku always wore clothes to cover his body which probably had a lot to do with why he was so much paler than the others.

"And besides," Valencia held her purse in her hand with a pair of sandals in the other; "your father and I have to be out for a little while."

Riku grinned wildly, "Which means I'm your babysitter."

Silver's eyes widened in shock and indignation, "You can't be serious!"

Valencia smiled and headed for the door. "Listen to Riku. Take care you guys!"

Riku called out, "We will."

"Oh and Riku," Valencia poked her head out the door, "If she wants to be stubborn, I'm giving you full privileges and rights to do what you need to keep her in line. Bye!" And the door shut behind her, leaving an eerie silence following.

With a half-lidded glare, Silver said, "You do NOT have run of me in my own house."

"Actually," he poked her cheek, "I believe I do. Your mom said so which means, you have to listen to me for the night."

Silver snapped at his finger, which he drew back just in time. "Calm down baby," he said with an evil glare in his eyes, not noticing how use of the word "baby" embarrassed Silver, "I'm the one in charge here so you have to do what I say."

"Oh yay!" she yelled sarcastically. "How fun! I get to be babysat by a boy my age with control issues."

Riku gently grabbed Silver's chin and forced her to face him. "Just do what I say and you'll survive this Halloween."

In response, Silver grabbed his face, which had obviously startled him, and she spoke clearly, "just remember whose house you're in. Got it?"

After a brief, heavy silence, Riku chuckled as he released Silver, who followed suit shortly after. "Now we can do the cliché thing and watch horror movies on Halloween, or we can find something else all together and just go with whatever else you want."

"The babysitter is giving me the choice? Oh it's my lucky day," she sneered as she lay down against the couch.

"Listen smart-one, I can make this easy for you, or I can make it hard. It's all up to you."

"But then again," Silver shot back, "you never like things the easy way so I'll do you a courtesy and skip all that and go ahead and say I want it hard." She smiled wickedly and then said, "so there's your answer."

Riku cocked an eyebrow and stared suspiciously at the girl before him. 'It's gonna be a long night.'

* * *

"I am not watching _Twilight_," Silver declared as she and Riku finished up _Spirited Away_.

Riku, who stood at the DVD player looked up in shock. "You don't like _Twilight_? What kind of girl doesn't like that movie?"

Silver capped her water. "One who thinks that Robert Pattinson and Edward Cullen in general is one of the creepiest characters ever, that's the kind of girl I am."

Riku laughed at this and asked, "Why is he creepy?"

She flipped her long braided hair over her shoulder. "The guy stands over some chick and watches her sleep for months. That is not attractive in the least, or romantic. It's stalkerish."

He made his way over to Silver and placed his arms at her shoulders, keeping her pinned to the couch. "So what if you saw some guy who really loved you watching you sleep?"

Silver met his gaze and fought the pounding of her heart against her chest. "Probably punch him out."

"…And if it was me?"

"Pardon me?" Now Silver's curiosity was in full swing.

Riku sighed as if he was annoyed and continued, "If I happened to be the one watching over you when you sleep, what would you do?"

Silver shifted uncomfortably in her spot and avoided Riku's strong, powerful gaze. 'With a stare like that he might as well be a vampire. Strong eyes, pale skin, and he is attractive in a w—what am I thinking?' So she cleared her throat. "If I woke up and it was you, I'd still probably try to knock you out. Just don't stand over my bed for hours. That's just creepy." It was also now that Silver noticed how dark it was in the house and how dimly-lit the living room was. The only light in the area was coming from the television set and a small lamp in a corner of the room. "But then again, you aren't a vampire so I don't see why this would ever be an issue."

With that, she jumped up, being mindful of her ankle as she did so and hobbled over to the DVD cabinet.

"So I'm gonna guess that you're not the romantic type," Riku stated plainly as he took the spot where Silver had been sitting.

"What is it with you tonight and these romance questions?" She shuffled through the DVDs and gasped in surprise.

"Can't I just ask a question? When I've missed someone that's been gone as long as you, I want to fill in the gaps of where we last left off. Is that so wrong? Besides, we're teenagers. Half the crap we deal with is relationships so why not start there," Riku watched Silver and when she turned back around, he glided over to her side and wrapped an arm tightly around her waist. He helped her over to the DVD player. "So what are we watching now?"

As she leaned over, Riku got a tighter grip of Silver and she shivered, feeling his gloved hands brush against her hip from the looseness of the shirt. "Uh, we're watching _Howl's Moving Castle_."

Riku's eyes widened. "I almost forgot how much you loved those movies."

"They're your favorites too," Silver added. "I never forgot that."

He helped her to the couch as the movie began to play. "Hey, Silver…"

"Hmm?"

The air became heavy again and Riku looked away, feeling completely uncertain and hesitant. "Do you remember one of the things we promised to do as kids?"

Silver stopped, forcing Riku to do the same. "Which promise are you talking about? You know we made three."

He laughed nervously. "Yeah I know. But looking at all these movies has me thinking." Another pregnant pause followed. "I still haven't been off the island or visited any places foreign to this one."

Silver's green eyes softened. 'I know what he's talking about.' She pulled him forward and sat him on the sofa. "I remember what promise you're talking about." They sat close to each other, rather intimately. "We made a promise that we'd get off this island and see what else is out there."

Riku nodded his head and stared at the television. "Sora and Kairi will probably end up together and leave together."

"You think they'd abandon you?" Silver seemed quite taken back by the statement and waited for a response.

"We all made a promise to leave together, Kairi, Sora and I. But I know that if we ever had to split up," Riku yawned, "It would be the two of them. Not out of maliciousness, but just because…"

"Because Sora and Kairi are like this," she crossed her fingers. Silver noticed his head dipping and it was quite obvious that he was tired. Riku had been working his whole week at blitzball practice with his normal load of homework. Plus he had been running back and forth to her house to make sure that she had all the assignments needed.

Silver sat with her feet planted firmly on the carpeted floor and wrapped her arms around his shoulders, laying his head against her chest. "I'll keep our promise."

Riku looked up at Silver and noticed how soft her eyes were, how pure they were and his heart began to race. When she wasn't so serious, Riku noted, she was even more beautiful than originally thought. _This _was the Silver he longed to see every day. And being this close to her was something he could get used to. Her scent was wonderful and her skin was so smooth. His mind raced with thoughts he would have rejected long ago, but now he welcomed them with open arms.

"So," he yawned again and his eyes began to close, "we're gonna see what else is out there."

"I'll take you to one of my favorite places. I don't know when but I will. Now just go to sleep."

"Heh, I'm supposed to be the one babysitting you," Riku stated drowsily.

"Just shut up and go to sleep," She cooed while running her fingers through his hair, "I told you…" And within a few seconds he was out cold, "you don't run anything in my house."

Thirty minutes into the movie, Riku was hard-cold knocked out. It was also thirty minutes later when Silver had totally realized their present situation. The majority of the girls at school would kill to have Riku over their house. The majority of the girls would kill to watch a movie with him. And the majority of them would pass out if they had him sleeping in their lap. And then with a sadness Silver wondered why Riku tried so hard to make peace between them and rekindle their friendship. She knew he was loyal, that much was certain. But something seemed different about their situation. Her mother's words rang through her mind that moment but she shook them off.

'If he actually felt something for me, I really hope he doesn't,' Silver's eyes lost their brightness and she felt herself falling asleep. 'I don't deserve his affections…'


End file.
